"Why does the ministry issue a license?" Turdimov suggested abolishing the licensing of private schools and kindergartens by the department

"What does the ministry issue a license for?". Turdimov proposed abolishing ministry licensing for private schools and kindergartens

Private schools and kindergartens in Uzbekistan may soon find it easier to obtain operating permits. First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science Erkinjon Turdimov believes that the need for a separate ministry license should be reconsidered if an institution has already received permits from sanitary, construction, and fire services.

He stated this at a meeting in Samarkand.

According to Turdimov, before an educational institution opens, its premises are inspected by relevant specialized services. If they confirm that the facility meets safety requirements, the additional license from the ministry raises questions.

"If the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, construction, fire, and other relevant services have inspected the facility and issued a permit, what does the ministry issue a license for? What exactly does it inspect? Overall, ministry licensing for opening private kindergartens and schools needs to be abolished," Turdimov stated, the minister said.

At the same time, specialized services inspect only part of the requirements necessary to open an educational institution. The fire supervision authority evaluates fire safety, the sanitary and epidemiological service checks compliance with sanitary norms, and the construction inspection assesses the building's accessibility for people with disabilities.

These conclusions are part of the licensing procedure and do not replace it. According to the license passport approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 403 dated June 30, 2025, the required conclusions are requested by the ministry itself.

In addition to the condition of the building, licensing requirements also affect the organization of the educational process. In particular, they regulate the size of groups in kindergartens and classes in schools, the teacher-to-student ratio, the qualifications of teachers, the language proficiency level of teachers of foreign languages, as well as curricula and programs.

If separate licensing is abolished, it will be necessary to determine who will verify compliance with these requirements and at what stage.

The obligation to obtain a license for non-governmental educational organizations is enshrined in the Law "On Education", specifically in Articles 9 and 57. Therefore, to abolish this requirement, changing the procedure for issuing licenses will not be enough—it will also require revising legislative norms. Meanwhile, this is currently only a proposal to review the licensing procedure. No official abolition of licensing requirements has been reported.

The meeting also discussed the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs in the private education sector. Turdimov criticized officials who fail to help solve these problems and warned that ministry employees who do not fulfill their duties could lose their positions.

Issues related to construction documentation in the Samarkand region were addressed separately. According to the head of the regional construction department, there are 522 problematic issues in this area in the region. Five of them relate to private educational institutions.

Furthermore, it was announced at the meeting that there are plans to launch a dedicated electronic platform through which educational institutions will be able to submit appeals.