Shavkat Mirziyoyev comments on Erkinjon Turdimov's appointment

According to the head of state, the decision is connected with the need to change the approach to the sphere against the backdrop of a decline in quality amid an increase in the number of universities. "I brought in a person I trust the most and appointed him Minister of Education, because the number of universities has grown, but the quality has decreased. This worries me a lot," the president said, as quoted by the media with reference to the Daryo publication. Shavkat Mirziyoyev added that each university should clearly understand who and what kind of specialists it is training.

Erkinjon Turdimov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Education and Science on October 9 after the deputies of the Legislative Chamber approved his candidacy. The president emphasized that he gave the head of the department the status of First Vice Premier in order to pay great attention to education. Since January 2025, Turdimov has headed the Syrdarya region, and previously, in different years, he headed the Navoi, Surkhandarya and Samarkand regions.

The unified Ministry of Education and Science was established on October 3 through the merger of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. The head of the merged department coordinates the areas of education, science and healthcare, and control over the implementation of tasks is assigned to the head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva.