TASHKENT - In 2025, 81 employees of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation were convicted of various crimes in Uzbekistan, according to Shukhrat Yodgorov, head of the ministry's department. This marks the third consecutive year of decline: 106 people were convicted in 2023 and 90 in 2024, Gazeta.uz reports.
This applies to the entire system, which includes approximately 1,000 institutions: 207 universities and over 650 vocational education organizations. Only 8% of cases are directly related to corruption (bribery), while the rest are related to abuse of power and fraud.
According to Yodgorov, the ministry's anti-corruption rating increased from 50 points in 2023 to 86 in 2025. The ministry also ranked among the top 15 in the Transparency Index with a score of 88.4.
In March, a ministry employee was arrested on suspicion of accepting a $100,000 bribe for issuing a license to a private university.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
April 20, 2026