For to prevent corruption offenses in the higher education system, to study their causes and conditions, as well as to eradicate them, special attention is paid to the implementation of the tasks specified in the Roadmap 2022-2023, approved by the National Anti-Corruption Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In particular, in 2022, internal anti-corruption control units (compliance control) launched their activities in 96 state higher educational institutions, which are responsible for the formation of an uncompromising attitude towards corruption, the early detection and prevention of corruption cases, the elimination of circumstances and conditions that cause their occurrence, prevention of conflicts of interest, ensuring transparency and openness of public procurement and employment processes.

In order to improve the skills of employees of these units, 14-hour online courses were organized and 50 employees received certificates from the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

In addition, 18 internal legal acts were developed in accordance with international standards, aimed at further improving the system of combating corruption and compliance control.

In order to improve the legal culture of students and teachers in the field of combating corruption, the official telegram bot @Eduantiсorruption Bot, hotline (71) 207-03-41, (71) 207-03-38 and email antiсor@еdu.uz started operating. Boxes of justice have been installed in the buildings of higher educational institutions.

Moreover, amendments and additions were made to some regulatory legal acts in force.

It was managed to prevent a systematic corruption in the sphere, and to minimize the level of corruption risks. The Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS), the procedure for transferring education from abroad to state higher educational institutions through the State Test Center, as well as a system for admission to master’s programs without exams, and many other procedures have been introduced.

In order to ensure transparency in hiring, a system of monthly announcement of vacancies has been introduced through the website http://ish.mehnat.uz/.

At the same time, in order to increase the legal awareness and culture of all categories of employees, sets of regulatory documents coordinating the activities of the internal anti-corruption system were distributed.

Over 400 students who won the competitions for the best essay, drawing and video were awarded cash prizes.

328 videos and materials reflecting the negative consequences of corruption were prepared and posted on official websites. 338 surveys conducted among 140 thousand students and 100 thousand university teachers, as well as 4,843 awareness-raising events.

Last year, internal anti-corruption control units revealed 49 facts of corruption in higher education institutions and submitted the collected materials to law enforcement agencies for legal assessment. Action was taken against 80 employees for misconduct. In 56 cases, a conflict of interest was identified and 30 employees were transferred to another position, 4 employees were dismissed from their positions, and appropriate measures were taken against 22 employees.

In the course of studies conducted to identify facts of corruption in public procurement and to verify the reliability of counterparties, violations of the law were revealed in six higher education institutions.

Despite the strengthening of measures aimed at preventing corruption in the higher education system, facts of corruption are still being identified in the sphere, as well as corruption risks exist.

In particular, the low level of protection of HEMIS platform, the involvement of the human factor in the delivery of term papers and final qualification papers, taking professional (creative) exams, selecting and recommending candidates for various scholarships and awards, appointing employees to higher positions, establishing allowances for their monthly salaries, rent of premises in the balance sheet of higher education institutions, and other circumstances are among the causes of corruption situations.

Thus, it is appropriate to undertake the following measures in the higher education system:

• reducing the human factor due to the phased digitization of the area;
• in order to improve the activities of anti-corruption units, as well as to strengthen the sphere of influence of their work, remove these units from the subordination of rectors of universities and organize their activities as structural units of the ministry;
• strengthening public control over the implementation of measures aimed at preventing corruption situations, further enhancing the legal awareness and legal culture of students and teachers, and forming an attitude of intolerance towards corruption;
• increasing the level of impact of activities carried out with the participation of law enforcement agencies and members of the public on the topic of combating corruption in the activities of the ministry and higher educational institutions;
• in order to ensure openness and transparency of the educational process, holding the Doors Open Day at least once a year in departments with the participation of students’ parents, the media and the public;
• wide coverage of the measures taken on the facts revealed in the system on the official websites of higher educational institutions, the media and social networks.

Press Office

The Anti-Corruption Agency