Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Bahrom Abdullaev, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science, Education, and Healthcare of the Oliy Majlis, has submitted an official inquiry to Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation Kongratbay Sharipov.

The senator's request follows numerous appeals from citizens concerned about the inability to pursue parallel studies at two universities — for example, combining full-time and distance learning, or attending both public and private institutions.

Abdullaev highlighted that since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken extensive reforms in higher education, expanding the number of universities from 77 to 203 and increasing student coverage from 9% to 42%. Today, more than 170,000 students are enrolled in 69 non-governmental universities. However, legal restrictions remain that hinder the possibility of dual enrollment.

Specifically, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 393 (dated 20 June 2017) does not allow a student to be registered more than once in the HEMIS system, effectively preventing enrollment in two universities simultaneously. The senator noted that such limitations are not present in countries like the United States, EU member states, Russia, and Kazakhstan.

In light of this, the senator has requested an official clarification from the ministry regarding whether students in Uzbekistan may be allowed to study in two higher education institutions at the same time.