The program is designed for 2026-2028 and will strengthen the system of support for educational loans, providing access to them for approximately 600 thousand young people across the country. About 80% of the program's funds will be used to support students from low-income families and women.
Given that about 10 million people in Uzbekistan are in the 14-30 age group, the Government pays special attention to expanding access to high-quality higher, technical and vocational education.
From 2017 to 2024, the number of universities has almost tripled, and the enrollment of young people in higher education has increased from 8% to 48%. However, the growing number of students has increased the burden on the educational loan system, which operates through local commercial banks providing government-subsidized loans.
The current system does not sufficiently take into account the needs of the labor market: educational loans are rarely allocated for training in programs with high demand for specialists in STEM (natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics) and ICT. In addition, although women make up 55% of students and 80% of loan recipients, only 33% of female students choose STEM courses.
The main measures of the "EduImkon" program
1. Modernization of management and operational processes in the educational credit system and improvement of coordination between relevant ministries and departments.
2. Launch of a single online platform for accelerated application processing, transparent decision-making and analytical support for loan allocation.
3. Expanding access for students from low-income families and women through simplifying loan criteria and adjusting government support mechanisms.
4. Improving the compliance of education with the needs of the labor market and ensuring the long-term financial stability of the credit system.
5. Piloting a loan system with payments dependent on the borrower's income to support low-income students and temporarily unemployed graduates.
By December 2028, the upgraded system will allow 600,000 students of universities and institutions of technical and vocational education to receive educational loans through 12 commercial banks coordinated with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Approximately $190 million (80% of the program's funds) will be used to support students from vulnerable groups and encourage them to choose professions in demand on the labor market, in particular STEM.
The program also involves attracting an additional $30 million in private capital, which will expand student lending opportunities and reduce the burden on the state budget.
