Uzbekistan faces classroom shortage as 13,500 classes exceed 35-student limit

Speaking at a press conference, as reported by Gazeta.uz, ministry officials said the problem could be tackled by building new schools and expanding existing ones. They also noted that 934 schools across the country are in desperate need of full renovation.

Uzbekistan currently has 259,636 classrooms, 13,500 of which exceed the 35-student limit.

"To fix this, we're proposing adding new buildings to existing public schools and constructing entirely new ones. That should bring down the number of overcrowded classrooms," said First Deputy Minister Sherzod Karimov.

He explained that the ministry wants new housing developments to be planned with a standard of 1.5 school places per household.

"For example, land was set aside for schools when the Karasuv residential area in Samarkand was being developed. Now, based on migration trends, new schools are being built there, and capacity is currently sufficient," he said.

He added that not all available land on school grounds can be used for construction because space must also be kept free for emergency evacuation, and planners take such factors into account.

"Our goal is for all schools to run on a single shift. That would free up afternoons for extracurricular academic and sports activities, so students can spend their time productively without leaving school. We're working on this together with local authorities and ministries," Karimov said.

Deputy Minister Temur Komilov said around 200,000 additional school places are being created every year from all funding sources.

"To get all schools onto a single shift and support extracurricular activities, we need at least 850,000 more places. That doesn't mean they'll be built in two or three years," he said.

"Funding is being allocated, and about 200,000 new places are being created annually from all sources. The cost of setting up one classroom, including teachers, equipment, and other expenses, runs from UZS 120 million to UZS 160 million."

Komilov said 934 schools, with a total capacity of 669,000 students, haven't undergone major renovations for many years and urgently need repairs.

"What's more, over 1,900 schools – serving around 800,000 students – lack assembly halls and sports facilities. New schools are needed in 263 residential areas, and we're carrying out detailed assessments for each facility and district," he said.

He added that there are currently 1,197 branch schools. Under a Cabinet of Ministers resolution, 629 branch schools built from clay and adobe were fully modernized with state budget funds between 2020 and 2022.

"There are no more clay-built schools or their branches. Although the number of branch schools is declining each year, we can't eliminate them entirely. Even with school buses, parents still prefer primary classes to stay local in autumn and winter – it's just more convenient," Komilov concluded.

Earlier, the Minister of Preschool and School Education said she strongly opposes asking parents to contribute money for school repairs, stressing that such costs should be covered by local budgets and authorities.