06.11.2026

4.3.1 Public resources (lifelong learning)

Free pre-university preparatory courses for school leavers from low-income families

In accordance with Order No. 18 of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 17 January 2025, Bukhara State University (BSU) launched free preparatory courses in general education subjects for final-year school students from low-income families assigned to the university. The courses are open to young people who are not enrolled at BSU and are delivered at no cost on university premises, using its classrooms, laboratories and teaching staff.

Fourteen subjects are offered: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, History, Law, Mother tongue and literature, Russian language and literature, English, German, French, Turkish, Music performance, Fine and applied arts, and Geography. Classes are held in the university’s academic buildings (Buildings 1-4 and the Faculty of Philology at 1 Alpomish Street), with a dedicated room announced for each subject so that participants can find the course easily. Information about the courses, schedules and venues is published openly on the university website and social media channels.

The programme supports equal access to higher education for school leavers whose families cannot afford private tutoring, and gives them free use of the university’s facilities and academic expertise while preparing for entrance examinations. The courses were launched in 2025 and continue on an annual basis.

Free sports sections at the BSU Sports Club

The Sports Club of Bukhara State University runs 16 free sports sections, each led by an assigned coach: football, futsal, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, chess and draughts, athletics, boxing, judo, freestyle wrestling, national kurash, hand-to-hand combat, para-powerlifting, and street workout. Training takes place at the university’s own facilities: the sports ground, the universal sports complex, the main-building gym, the wrestling hall and the student dormitory. Participation is free of charge for who choose a section and contact the coach directly, with names and phone numbers published openly in the announcement.

The sections are open to all regardless of faculty or level of training and include a para-powerlifting group for students with disabilities. The programme promotes a healthy lifestyle, regular physical activity and meaningful use of free time, and makes the university’s sports infrastructure and coaching staff available at no cost.

4.3.2 Public events (lifelong learning)

Bukhara State University held an open competition for school students in grades 9-11 with innovative ideas or projects in IT and artificial intelligence, science and technology, ecology and green technologies, agro-technologies, energy, engineering and design, entrepreneurship and other innovative fields. To take part, students submitted a presentation of their idea or project, a recommendation letter from their school and written parental consent.

Ten participants - five best ideas and five best projects were selected against a 100-point evaluation scale. The winners received free access to the university’s laboratories and equipment, workspace at the university Incubation Centre, mentoring and methodological support, practical sessions and experimental testing, with the most promising projects referred to incubation and acceleration programmes.

Through this initiative the university opens its research infrastructure and expertise free of charge to learners who are not enrolled at the university, supporting lifelong learning and the early involvement of school students in research and innovation.

Open Day for school leavers

As part of its annual Open Days programme, Bukhara State University hosted final-year students from secondary schools of Gijduvan district. The visitors toured the campus and were introduced to the university’s facilities: the Registrar’s Office, the Information Resource Centre, the Career Centre, sports facilities, the new student dormitory, the new academic building and the university museums. Faculty staff gave presentations on study programmes, specialisations, forms of study, changes in the admission procedure and the benefits available to applicants; booklets and flyers were distributed. The event was free of charge and open to all school students of the district. Open Days are held in series, with schools from different districts of Bukhara region visiting the university in turn.

Open meeting with parents at the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

Bukhara State University held an open meeting with the parents of students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, attended by the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, the Head of the Anti-Corruption Compliance Department and representatives of academic departments. Parents were informed about the educational process, the quality of curricula, international cooperation opportunities, attendance, discipline and the student rating system. They raised questions and proposals, which were discussed with the university management. The meeting is part of a regular practice of dialogue between the university, families and teaching staff, aimed at strengthening openness, transparency and accountability in the educational process. Parents of high-achieving students were presented with letters of appreciation. Participation was free of charge.

4.3.3 Vocational training events (Lifelong learning)

Chinese language courses at the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture.

 The Centre for Chinese Language and Culture at Bukhara State University launched Chinese language courses open to all interested applicants, including members of the public who are not enrolled at the university. Classes are held three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and are taught by Liu Jiaying, a native-speaker specialist from China. The courses give residents of Bukhara an opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture on the university campus free of charge and support the university’s lifelong learning mission and international cooperation with Chinese partner institutions.

Short-term foreign language courses for customs officers.

In cooperation with its Korean, Japanese and Chinese language centres, Bukhara State University organised short-term courses in Korean, Japanese and Chinese for staff of the Bukhara Regional Customs Department. The courses, taught by qualified instructors on the university campus, were designed to develop officers’ skills in communicating with foreign nationals at border crossings. They were provided free of charge as part of the university’s contribution to professional development in the region.

Free Malay language course for the tourism sector.

Bukhara State University launched a free Malay language course aimed at tour guides, excursion leaders, tourism professionals and anyone wishing to work with visitors from Malaysia, as well as students and teachers. Enrolment is open to the public: participants register in person at the university’s main building (room 325), where classes are held. The course responds to the growing flow of Malaysian tourists to Bukhara and helps local tourism workers improve the quality of their services. It is an example of how the university makes its language-teaching expertise available to the wider community free of charge, supporting lifelong learning and the development of the regional tourism economy.

4.3.4 Education outreach activities beyond campus

Bukhara State University runs educational outreach in local schools through branches of its academic departments based in the schools themselves. The Department of Uzbek Linguistics and Journalism operates a branch at Secondary School No. 31 of Bukhara city under a cooperation agreement. In 2025 the branch held sessions and master classes and seminars on modern linguistics, speech culture and the basics of journalism, delivered at the school by university lecturers, and creative meetings with journalists. The sessions develop pupils’ writing, analysis and creative thinking skills and introduce them to careers in journalism and linguistics.

Lecturers of the Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Information Technologies gave a master class “Artificial intelligence: a new tool for the digital generation” at the specialised school of Bukhara district (Agency for Specialised Educational Institutions).  The session covered the role of AI in everyday life, practical applications of AI technologies, the basics of programming and digital thinking skills, with hands-on examples.

In August–September 2025, lecturers of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management ran the “Young Tourist” club at Secondary School No. 1 of Kagan district and Secondary School No. 33 of Romitan district. Pupils learned about the cultural heritage sites of Bukhara and took part in round-table discussions and quizzes on the tourism potential of the region. 

The university also supported teachers of its partner schools: academic staff prepared methodological guides on the teaching of natural sciences, mathematics, and Uzbek language and literature, and delivered them to schools attached to the university.

Outreach to women seasonal workers in Kogon district.

Members of the Women’s Advisory Council and the Trade Union Committee of Bukhara State University visited the “Norov Aziz” and “Farovon Mironshoh” farms in Siyozpoyon mahalla, Kogon district, where women are employed in the autumn cotton harvest. The visits formed part of the regional programme for 2025 on women’s employment and poverty reduction. University staff held awareness-raising meetings with the women workers on labour rights, social protection and access to education and retraining, talked with them about their working conditions and presented gifts to the most productive workers. The activity was carried out off campus, in the community, and was free for all participants.

Career guidance visit to School No. 3, Kogon district.

Representatives of Bukhara State University, together with activists of the Youth Union of Uzbekistan, visited secondary school No. 3 in Kogon district and held a career guidance session for final-year students. The session covered the study programmes and forms of study available at the university, the subjects required for entrance examinations, admission procedures and the opportunities and support available to students. Forty-six school leavers took part, received information materials and individual advice on preparing for higher education. The visit was free of charge and formed part of the university’s programme of outreach visits to secondary schools across the districts of Bukhara region.

4.3.5 Lifelong Learning Access Policy

Lifelong Learning Access Policy.

Bukhara State University has a Lifelong Learning Access Policy, adopted on 5 September 2023 and publicly available on the university’s Sustainable Development website. The Policy commits the university to empower all individuals to engage continuously in learning opportunities and applies to formal education, vocational training, online courses and community-based programmes offered by the university. Its guiding principles are inclusivity and equity, flexibility, collaboration, innovation and sustainability. The Policy guarantees access to learning opportunities for everyone regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity or geographical location, and requires the university to remove financial and time-related barriers to participation, to provide flexible learning formats, equitable access to technology, career guidance and mentoring, and to recognise prior learning. It is complemented by the university’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Anti-discrimination and Anti-harassment Policy (2024), which prohibit discrimination on any grounds, including religion, disability and immigration status, in all university activities, including those open to the public. Together these documents ensure that the university’s public lectures, short-term and language courses, preparatory courses, outreach activities and campus facilities are open to all members of the community. The Policy was adopted within the 2022–2026 period and is subject to regular monitoring and evaluation.