Uzbekistan extends Free Textbooks for Schoolchildren policy for another year

Earlier, a draft budget proposal suggested introducing rental fees for textbooks and exercise books for grades 2–11, starting from the 2025–2026 academic year. The Ministry had justified the plan by citing reduced parental responsibility and increased neglect of textbooks due to their full funding by the state budget.

However, in a statement released on December 12, the Ministry confirmed that this proposal has been abandoned.

“The 2025 state budget will fully cover the costs of providing students with textbooks and exercise books for the new academic year. As a result, no additional rental fees will be charged to parents,” the Ministry stated.

In 2024, the state budget allocated 1.5 trillion UZS to produce 83.2 million copies of textbooks and exercise books for school students. Of this, 435.5 billion UZS (36%) were spent on exercise books with a one-year usage cycle, which require annual reprinting.

For 2025, the production of 81 million copies of textbooks and exercise books is planned, with a total budget of 1.3 trillion UZS, which will also be fully covered by the state.

Since 2022, no rental fees have been charged for textbooks in Uzbekistan’s school education system, a practice that will continue in the coming year.