Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  Uzbekistan is considering the reintroduction of fees for renting school textbooks, as indicated in the draft budget proposal for 2025–2027.

The aim of this proposal is to increase parental involvement in providing educational materials for schools. Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, a system of rental fees for sets of textbooks and workbooks for students in grades 2 through 11 is planned to be implemented.

According to the project, in 2024, the average cost of a set of textbooks and notebooks for one student ranged from 450,000 to 500,000 soums (of which notebooks cost 100,000 to 150,000 soums). Under the new proposal, the rental fee will be set at 80,000 soums per set of textbooks, which is equivalent to 16–18% of its production cost.

The funds collected, approximately 376.6 billion soums annually, will be allocated to partially cover the costs of educational materials for students.

“Full funding of textbooks and notebooks from the budget reduces parental responsibility and leads to careless handling of textbooks,” the project states.

At a press conference on October 29, Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Temurjon Komilov confirmed that the proposal has been included in the draft budget message.

“This is not a regulatory act but a proposal to establish a one-time rental fee of 80,000 soums for students in grades 2 through 11. This will help reduce budgetary expenditures by 376 billion soums,” Komilov noted.

He added that for the current year, 1.5 trillion soums have been allocated for textbooks, and 1.3 trillion soums for the next year.

The Deputy Minister clarified that the proposal does not apply to first-grade students and families from the social protection registry, and it is still just a proposal, not a final decision.

Temurjon Komilov emphasized that the initiative was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and coordinated with other agencies. “Any regulatory changes will undergo public discussion and agreement. Right now, this is just a proposal,” he explained.

Previously, Uzbekistan had a textbook rental system, but in 2022, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered the provision of free textbook rentals, and the fee was abolished.