Ministry Denies Rumors of Mass Student Dormitory Sales in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan has issued an official denial regarding information actively circulated on social networks and messengers concerning the alleged mass sale and privatization of state-owned student dormitories.

The ministry emphasized that the widely shared publications are based on a misinterpretation of open data and are categorically untrue.

According to the ministry's official clarification, the lots published on electronic trading platforms do not involve residential housing or student rooms. Instead, they pertain to the short-term leasing through open auctions of temporarily unused auxiliary, technical, and commercial spaces held on the balance sheets of universities. These include basements, vacant courtyard areas, cafeterias, and kitchens. Leasing these facilities is aimed at optimizing costs and developing service infrastructure for the students themselves, which will not affect or reduce the number of residential spaces.

As examples, the ministry cited auction lots containing courtyard sections of Samarkand State Medical University (69.8 square meters), a basement at Ferghana State University (40 square meters), vacant areas at Gulistan State University (37 and 52 square meters), as well as kitchens at Urgench State University and Ferghana Polytechnic Institute.

The ministry separately commented on sensational reports regarding the sale of the main student dormitory building of the National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan named after Nizami (formerly TashGPU). This facility was indeed included in the Privatization Program for 2025 in accordance with Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PF-70 dated 21 April 2025.

However, a fundamental condition of the transaction specifies that the university and its infrastructure will continue to operate at their current location until the complete construction and commissioning of an ultra-modern university campus in New Tashkent. The funds raised from the sale of the old building, along with the university's extra-budgetary income, are specifically earmarked for building new modern educational blocks and residential buildings for 5,000 students in the developing megacity.

Concurrently, the ministry shared current statistics on the development of student housing infrastructure. Thanks to the implementation of Presidential Decree No. PF-16 dated 30 January 2025, which provided for the construction of dormitories based on public-private partnerships (PPP), the annual plan was overfulfilled by 138.6%. Instead of the planned 8,000 places, 11,084 places were created across 19 state universities in Tashkent, Karakalpakstan, and 12 regions of the republic.

In total, between 2022 and 2025, the total capacity of student campuses increased by 74,100 places, reaching a combined figure of 159,100 places, which covers 58% of the total demand.

In the current year of 2026, the ministry plans to commission new facilities providing an additional 12,110 places. Meanwhile, buildings designed for 30,700 places are in an active phase of construction, and further projects for 10,000 places are being developed under PPP frameworks with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Authorized representatives of the ministry stated their full openness to direct dialogue with the media and bloggers to promptly prevent the spread of unreliable rumors.