Transnational Higher Education in Uzbekistan

Transnational higher education (THE) as the part of internationalization process means off-campus education and mobility of foreign academic programmes and students. The knowledge about THE in developed counties is suffice. However, the trends in developing countries as Central Asia are not clear yet. In order to clarify the THE in Central Asia, Sia (2014) overviews the worldwide transnational higher education (THE) trends, highlighting the case of higher education institutions of Uzbekistan. In my view, the picture of the development of THE in Uzbekistan is incomplete due to superficial analysis of THE.

According to the author, Uzbekistan has still the influence of Soviet Union’s traditions for internationalization of higher education as standardization of education system. However, in order to meet the international standards, Uzbekistan tries to develop different directions of internationalization: inviting of foreign lecturers, creating West-based international branch campuses (IBC) and joint research work with international partners. More specifically, Sia (2014) highlights four IBC in Uzbekistan: the Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), Turin Tashkent Polytechnic University (TTPU), South Korea Inha University in Tashkent (IUT), and Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent (MDIST).

The arguments about success of IBC in Tashkent are ambiguous because the data in this article is completely descriptive. For instance, the author claims that “All four IBCs have their own libraries, lecture theatres, student hostels, Olympic size swimming pools, and track fields” (p. 142). However, these indicators do not illustrate the effectiveness of institutions. State universities also have the same facilities. What about the level of research development or teaching methodologies? Moreover, the academic collaboration projects between different foreign institutions (University of East Anglia; Andijan State University; the University of Bath) and HEI of Uzbekistan are listed. Nevertheless, the author specifies more on quantity of initiatives than on the quality. The main part of these partnerships is realization, not just signing agreements. Additionally, Sia (2014) pays the attention only on development of THE in Tashkent – the capital of Uzbekistan. It will be interesting to explore the conditions of internationalization process in other cities such as Samarkand, Buhara and Namangan.

To sum up, this article is informative and clear, consisting of information about THE development in the world and in Uzbekistan particularly. However, the material has the descriptive character. There is a lack of critical analysis of Uzbek IBC and the specific country challenges in this way. Undoubtedly, the Central Asia countries have some general peculiarities in internationalization process. Nevertheless, the case of Uzbekistan is unique due to culture and socio-economic situation. In my view, the further research is needed.

References

Sia, E.K. (2014). Transnational higher education in Uzbekistan. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 18(4), 138-144.