In the past 25 years, many types of public and private schools have been established in Uzbekistan creating an educational market. Preliminary analysis indicates that parents in Uzbekistan have similar preferences to research in other Central Asian countries.
Paper long abstract:
In the past 25 years, many types of public and private schools have been established in Uzbekistan creating an educational market. While there were educational choices available to parents in the Soviet Union, the educational market is much more highly developed. Research on Parents’ Choices and Educational Market in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (Whitsel, 2014), eight cities in Kazakhstan (Whitsel, 2020), and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (Abdoubateva, 2019) show strong similarities in what parents value. This paper will be based on interviews with parents conducted in Tashkent Spring of 2022. Preliminary analysis indicates that parents in Uzbekistan have similar preferences for schools that offer strong preparation in Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Parents choosing private schools look both at the quality of the classrooms, as well as value the extracurricular activities available.