Functions of the Agency for Knowledge and Skills Assessment Approved in Uzbekistan

Starting from the current academic year, the master's program in Uzbekistan is being divided into two separate tracks: practical and scientific-pedagogical. This new procedure is established by Government Decree No. 500.

The duration of study depends on the chosen track: the program focused on production or practice will take at least one year, while the scientific-pedagogical program will require at least two years of study.

Students can complete their master's degree in various formats—full-time, part-time, or distance learning—depending on the requirements of the specific specialty. Graduates of the practical track are exempt from writing a dissertation; instead, they may submit a design or engineering project, a startup, an innovation idea, a practical creative work, or another type of final product.

For those who choose the scientific-pedagogical track, the requirement to defend a master's dissertation remains. Before defense, the work will undergo plagiarism checks and be subjected to 'blind expert peer review.' Additionally, students whose articles have been published in scientific journals will receive incentives.

Some educational institutions are excluded from these new rules. These include the Academy of Justice, the Academy of State Policy and Management, the Banking and Finance Academy, the Higher School of Business and Entrepreneurship under the Cabinet of Ministers, Tashkent State Law University, as well as all higher military and paramilitary educational institutions.

A new system has been adopted in Uzbekistan to regulate the admission of medical and pharmaceutical workers to professional activities. This system will be implemented in stages, starting from July 1, 2027. By 2030, only specialists who have undergone state registration will have the right to work in their specialty.

According to the relevant presidential decree, the creation of a Unified Electronic Register is planned, which will contain data on specialists in medicine and pharmacy. Until 2030, registration will be voluntary. Specialists can register either by passing a special exam or through automatic assignment of a qualification category. The validity period of this registration will be five years.

An exception applies to specialists with over twenty years of work experience and an academic degree; they will not need to take an exam. However, starting in 2030, the rules will become mandatory, and working without the corresponding registration will be prohibited, granting the right to work exclusively to registered doctors and pharmacists.

Concurrently, starting in 2030, the system for assigning qualification categories to medical and pharmaceutical workers will be abolished. Nevertheless, categories obtained before this date will remain valid until the expiration of the established term, and corresponding bonuses and official powers will also be maintained.

A separate registration procedure will be introduced for students and graduates of medical and pharmaceutical educational institutions. Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, this registration will be based on the results of three-stage special exams designed to objectively assess the knowledge of future personnel.

The state registration and organization of these special exams are entrusted to the Center for Qualification Assessment of Medical and Pharmaceutical Workers. For those who choose to voluntarily register before 2030, financial incentives are provided: doctors and pharmacists with higher education will receive a monthly supplement equal to five times the minimum wage, and mid-level workers will receive 2.5 times that amount.

Furthermore, starting January 1, 2027, monthly salary supplements are being introduced in Uzbekistan for a certain group of medical workers, the size of which for some specialists will exceed five million soms.