Debates over the state of scientific personnel training and science in Uzbekistan have intensified recently. According to a study published in the journal Higher Education Policy, the 2017 reforms of the scientific training system did not contribute to improving the system or the quality of scientific personnel. The Ishonch publication reports that Uzbekistan leads the list of countries with the most cited scientific articles. President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, academician Shavkat Ayupov, also noted in an interview with the Jadid newspaper that science in Uzbekistan is in a deplorable state.

Newspaper columnist Komil Jalilov discussed the topic with Qobil Roziyev, Associate Professor at the University of the West of England (UWE, Bristol, UK). Roziyev's research covers institutional and financial development in developing and transition economies, including higher education reforms in post-communist Central Asia. He is a co-author of the study 'Reforming Doctoral Education in Uzbekistan: Models, Rules, and Behavioral Norms'.

According to Roziyev, the Western system has 'soft' and 'hard' factors for developing research capacity. 'Soft' factors include knowledge and competencies: critical thinking, research skills. 'Hard' factors include a desk, quiet space, laptop, good internet, access to libraries and electronic articles. In the UK, the doctoral system is based on trust: processes are transparent, the supervisor acts as a facilitator, and the focus is on the student's growth.

In Uzbekistan, however, Roziyev observes a legacy of Soviet-era distrust towards individuals. To be allowed to defend a dissertation, one must go through about thirteen stages, creating bureaucracy. 'If there are successive barriers on the road, people lose patience and look for workarounds,' he says. This leads to corruption.

Roziyev notes that in Uzbekistan, doctoral students are forced to rush to produce output, leaving no time for reading. 'If you don't know poems, how can you write a good epic?' he exemplifies. The system is misaligned: the path that yields more benefit with less effort – ghostwriting – is chosen. This poisons meritocracy.

According to Roziyev, academic degrees in Uzbekistan are losing their signaling function: 'The market is being flooded with low-quality products – 'lemons'.' He emphasizes the need for fundamental reforms, restoring trust and transparency.

Source: www.gazeta.uz