Leaders from across Central Asia convened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to discuss the evolving landscape of higher education during the inaugural QS Eurasia Forum 2025. The event, organized by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, attracted over 300 leaders from universities, government, and industry, signaling the region’s ambition to influence global academic trends rather than merely following them.
The forum served as a platform to showcase Uzbekistan’s rapid transformation in the higher education sector. Sardor Radjabov, First Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovations, highlighted a series of reforms that have significantly enhanced the country’s educational framework. Uzbekistan has expanded its international partnerships, collaborating with institutions from the UK, US, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, and the EU. Currently, seven Uzbek universities are listed in the latest QS World University Rankings, with three achieving a position in the top 1,000. The number of institutions in Uzbekistan has surged from 69 to 204 in the past decade, resulting in over 86 internationally accredited academic programs across more than 20 universities.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, commended Uzbekistan’s achievements and emphasized the importance of regional collaboration. He described this moment as a “historic window of opportunity” for Eurasia to develop a more robust academic environment. Nurbek pointed to Uzbekistan’s partnerships with approximately 20 British universities as a model for others in the region.
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, noted that the number of students in his country has nearly tripled. However, he stressed that improving academic quality remains the ultimate goal. The forum also facilitated new cooperation agreements, including over 50 agreements resulting from the Uzbekistan-Germany Rectors’ Forum, with similar high-level meetings held with representatives from China and Japan.
Jeffrey Hunter, a representative from George Washington University, expressed interest in establishing memorandums of understanding, exchange agreements, and joint programs, citing the rising academic standards in Uzbekistan as a driving force for collaboration. Additionally, Svetoslav Spassov, a professor at the University of National and World Economy in Bulgaria, invited Uzbek students to apply for a fully funded Master’s program in Nuclear Security supported by the IAEA.
According to Nunzio Quacquarelli, President of QS, the number of Central Asian universities listed by QS has increased from 14 to 32 in recent years. Uzbekistan has notably progressed from having no ranked universities to seven within the QS rankings. Quacquarelli noted that Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan are enhancing their research output, teaching quality, and curriculum standards, thereby opening new opportunities for joint degrees, student mobility, and research collaboration.
The QS Eurasia Forum 2025 not only highlighted the significant strides made by Central Asian countries in higher education but also set the stage for continued collaboration and growth within the region. As these nations work together to elevate academic standards, they are positioning themselves as influential players in the global education landscape.
