On December 24, the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on ensuring the academic and managerial independence of state universities.

According to the document, from 2022/2023, state universities that have been given financial independence (their list is below) are provided with additional powers:

a) in the field of academic independence:

• approval of curricula, qualification requirements based on professional standards, definition of the language and form of education, taking into account the characteristics of areas of education and specialties;
• setting the terms of the duration of undergraduate and graduate education;
• determination of the cost of education in doctoral studies on a fee basis, admission to doctoral studies on a competitive basis in addition to the quota by allocating grants at the expense of extra-budgetary funds;
• approval of the procedure for the implementation of scientific leadership by doctoral students and independent applicants;
• introduction of correspondence, distance and evening forms of education at the master's stage, introduction of a system for assigning dual qualifications, including practical qualifications, in areas of education and specialties;
• implementation of academic mobility with universities on the basis of mutual agreements;
• creation and publication of textbooks, other educational and scientific literature for universities and educational institutions in their structure on the basis of their own stamps;
• definition and implementation of mechanisms for internal control of the quality of education;

b) in the field of organizational and managerial independence:

• creation of structural divisions, commercial and non-commercial organizations, the main activity of which is related to education, science, implementation and commercialization of their results, not financed from the state budget;
• approval of the structure and determination of the number of staffing units of the institution, regardless of the standards established for universities;
• establishment of the procedure for hiring, dismissing, internal rotation of teachers and other employees;
• admission to study of citizens of foreign countries on a paid-contract basis and the organization of their distance learning.

In addition, a number of powers of the Cabinet of Ministers and ministries are being transferred to universities, in particular, the transfer of studies of foreign citizens from foreign universities to state universities of Uzbekistan and the definition of internal regulations, including requirements for students' clothing.

The Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education is also given some powers from the Cabinet of Ministers in the field of higher, secondary specialized and vocational education:

• approval of the list of areas of education, specialties and professions for which education is conducted in universities, secondary specialized and professional educational institutions;
• setting the minimum duration of study in the areas of undergraduate education and magistracy specialties;
• determination of the directions of education for bachelor's degree and specialties for master's degree, in which evening, part-time and distance forms of education are not introduced;
• the establishment of requirements for the procedure for the preparation and publication, delivery and use of textbooks, educational and scientific literature in educational organizations;
• establishment of material, technical, infrastructural and parametric requirements for educational institutions.

List of universities that are granted financial independence

1. Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages;
2. Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service;
3. Tashkent State University of Law;
4. Tashkent State Economic University;
5. Tashkent Financial Institute;
6. Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies;
7. Tashkent Pharmaceutical Institute;
8. Tashkent State Transport University;
9. Urgench State University;
10. Uzbek State University of World Languages;
11. Andijan Machine-Building Institute;
12. Tashkent Chemical-Technological Institute;
13. Samarkand State University;
14. National University of Uzbekistan;
15. Tashkent State Technical University;
16. Tashkent Medical Academy;
17. Karakalpak State University;
18. Medical Institute of Karakalpakstan;
19. Bukhara State University;
20. Bukhara State Medical Institute;
21. Samarkand State Medical Institute;
22. Karshi State University;
23. Termez State University;
24. Tashkent State Agrarian University;
25. Gulistan State University;
26. Tashkent State University of Physical Culture and Sports;
27. Namangan State University;
28. Fergana State University;
29. University of Geological Sciences;
30. Andijan State University;
31. Andijan State Medical Institute;
32. University of World Economy and Diplomacy;
33. Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute;
34. Tashkent State Institute of Dentistry;
35. Tashkent University of Information Technologies.

According to the document, by the end of 2022 the textbooks of all state universities will be completely electronic, a single platform "Electronic Library" will be launched. In universities, paper reporting will also be abolished, and it will be replaced by an information system for managing the process of higher education.