Research assistant on international good practice in the financing of tertiary education (TVET and Higher education)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 For research assistant on international good practice in the financing of tertiary education (TVET and Higher education)

Grant Facility for Project Preparation (GFPP) – Uzbekistan Student Loan Program:

I. Background

The Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan is implementing comprehensive reforms aimed at expanding equitable access to higher education and strengthening the effectiveness, sustainability, and inclusiveness of student financing mechanisms. As higher education participation continues to increase, ensuring adequate, equitable, and effective financing has become a key priority to support equal educational opportunities and long-term sector development.

To support these reforms, the Grant Facility for Project Preparation (GFPP) represents a strategic investment of US$2 million, financed by the World Bank, to support the preparation and implementation readiness of the Student Loan Program in Uzbekistan. The GFPP finances analytical studies, institutional capacity building, implementation support, and policy development to establish a sustainable and efficient student financing system. The facility supports comprehensive analytical work to assess the current student financing landscape, conduct stakeholder consultations, evaluate international good practices, and develop evidence-based policy recommendations. It also strengthens implementation capacity through the recruitment of specialized Project Implementation Unit (PIU) staff and fiduciary experts, while supporting national and international training programs for representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES), and other relevant stakeholders.

These reforms take place in a context of rapid expansion. Gross enrolment in higher education rose from 9 percent to 21 percent between 2016 and 2022, the number of HEIs grew from 70 to 194, and the Government aims to reach 50 percent enrolment by 2030. Admission is still largely managed through centrally set quotas of places, which are increased every year.2 Public spending on tertiary education has risen more than fivefold in five years to about 0.89 percent of GDP, close to the OECD average. However, the financing model continues to rely heavily on households: around 68 percent of public higher education institutions’ (HEIs’) revenues come from tuition fees; free (state-funded) places, held by about 17 percent of students, are allocated on admission test scores and benefit mostly students from middle- and higher-income families; and government funding to HEIs is based on enrolment alone, so it does not reward labour market outcomes, curricular innovation or industry links.1 The regional “dual-track” model of budget-funded and fee-paying places, combined with centralised quotas that may not correspond to demand for specific programmes, has been found to create an incentive for institutions to retain fee-paying students at the expense of academic standards.2 World Bank analysis has pointed to a package of system-level financing reforms, including a transparent funding formula that combines enrolment with performance on strategic indicators, competitive grants, diversification of institutional revenues and reform of student financial aid. These reforms depend on greater institutional financial and academic autonomy and on reliable data on graduate outcomes.1

The Government recognizes the importance of evidence-based analysis to inform future reforms of the financing of tertiary education, covering both technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education (HE). It also places high value on learning from good practice in relevant and comparable international cases, so that design choices for Uzbekistan are informed by what other systems have done, what results they achieved, and under which conditions.

II. The assignment

To inform these reforms, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the PIU have engaged an international consultant to carry out research on international good practice in the financing of tertiary education (TVET and HE). The research covers the general design of TVET and HE financing systems in a selection of relevant and comparable countries, including their institutional and legal frameworks, the incentives they create and their impact on the sector; and countries’ experiences in phasing out admission quotas for students entering TVET and HE, including the finance-related aspects of this transition. It will assess how far these arrangements fit, or would need to be adapted to, the Uzbek context. The work runs from October to December 2026. It starts with an initial review of how TVET and HE are currently financed in Uzbekistan and exploratory desk research on international experience, through which the analytical framework will be refined. It then includes a selection of country cases with national counterparts, in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the selected countries and, subject to confirmation, a mission to Tashkent in mid-November 2026.

III. Objective

The objective of this assignment is to provide research support to the international consultant throughout the study, by collecting, organising, analysing and synthesising evidence and data on the financing of TVET and HE in Uzbekistan and in the selected countries, and by supporting interviews, the mission to Tashkent and the preparation of the report.

IV. Scope of Work and Deliverables

Under the guidance and supervision of the international consultant, who defines the overall methodology of the research, the research assistant will carry out the following tasks:

1. Review of the current system in Uzbekistan. Collect and organise documents and data on the current financing of TVET and HE in Uzbekistan (e.g., laws and regulations, budget and enrolment data, admission quota decisions, available studies), in coordination with the PIU, and prepare summary tables and notes as requested by the consultant.
2. Exploratory and in-depth desk research. Identify, collect and review relevant documents on the financing of TVET and HE and on admission quotas in other countries (laws and regulations, policy documents, funding rules, evaluations, academic and grey literature), first to help identify countries for the long-list and then in more depth for the selected cases.
3. Data collection and analysis. Where necessary, extract data from available national and international databases (e.g., UNESCO UIS, OECD, Eurostat, World Bank and national statistics) and run specific analyses as requested by the consultant, such as comparisons of funding levels, enrolment and outcomes across countries.
4. Case profiles. Draft short country profiles using common templates developed by the consultant, which will be refined as the research progresses.
5. Evidence management. Set up and maintain a library of sources and references and an evidence matrix that brings together the information collected across countries, flagging gaps and inconsistencies to be checked in interviews.
6. Support to interviews. Support the consultant, who will lead the interviews, by helping to prepare interview guides; identify and contact potential interviewees and schedule interviews; take notes and prepare written summaries of interviews.
7. Support to the mission to Tashkent. Subject to confirmation, travel to Uzbekistan on the same dates as the consultant; support the preparation of meetings in coordination with the PIU; collect documents and data shared by national counterparts; take notes and prepare summary notes of meetings and consultations.
8. Support to reporting. Prepare tables, figures and annexes; check facts and references; and proofread and format drafts of the inception note and report.

Deliverables: (1) Collection of documents and data on the current financing system in Uzbekistan, with summary tables; library of sources; and first draft case profiles of long-listed countries; (2) Summary notes of meetings held during the mission to Tashkent (if it takes place); (3) Interview notes, completed case profiles for the selected countries, evidence matrix, and datasets and outputs of the data analyses carried out; (4) Tables, annexes and reference list for the final report.

The indicative timetable is as follows:

V. Timeline, estimated efforts, and reporting arrangement

The assignment will run from 16rd November to 31 December 2026, for an estimated 20 working days. It may involve travel to Uzbekistan on the same dates as the international consultant (indicatively -November 2026, dates to be confirmed). The assignment is financed under the GFPP.

The research assistant will work under the day-to-day guidance and supervision of the international consultant and will report to Zulfiya Mamadalieva (mamadaliyeva.zulfiya@mail.ru) at the MEF. Deliverables will be approved by the MEF and the PIU on the advice of the international consultant.

VI. Qualifications Required

• Master’s degree in economics, education, public policy, social science or other relevant field
• At least 5 years of experience in policy research or analysis, preferably in education, TVET or public finance
• Familiarity with tertiary education policy and financing; knowledge of international comparative work is an advantage
• Strong desk research skills, including working with legal and policy documents
• Good quantitative skills and experience of working with international and national statistical databases; knowledge of statistical software (e.g., Stata, R or SPSS) is an advantage
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage sources and evidence systematically
• Excellent written and oral English; knowledge of Russian and/or Uzbek is an advantage
• Ability to work independently and to meet deadlines
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and reference management tools

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form in English or Russian languages to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by November 13, 2026.

Uzbekistan, 100017, Tashkent, Niyozbek yo'li, 1

Tel:(+99897) 447-86-11

E-mail: gfppp181956@gmail.com

Web site: https://www.imv.uz/

Abdurashid Abdurakhmanov

References

1 Bhatta, S.D., V. Babakhodjaeva, M. Kalbfuss, K. McDonall, and M.M. Ferreyra (2024). Advancing Higher Education for Economic Transformation in Uzbekistan. Policy Note. Washington, DC: World Bank.

2 Ambasz, D., D. Nikolaev, S. Malinovskiy, A. Olszak-Olszewski, P. Zavalina, and J. Botero Álvarez (2023). Towards Higher Education Excellence in Central Asia: A Roadmap for Improving the Quality of Education and Research through Regional Integration. Washington, DC: World Bank.