Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — School 21, a digital technology school, has presented its career report to journalists for the first time. More than 550 students from its Tashkent and Samarkand campuses have started internships, with 251 currently undertaking them.
The school has 167 graduates.
Internships are compulsory at School 21: students cannot graduate without completing one. Graduates receive state-standard diplomas confirming advanced training or professional retraining. The first graduation ceremonies took place in June and on 2 October 2026, the second anniversary of the Tashkent campus.
In Tashkent alone, 169 organisations have hosted interns, including IT companies, banks, fintech firms, public-sector institutions, telecommunications companies and game development businesses. They include EPAM Systems, Vention, TBC Bank, Payme, Beeline, Uzum, Click, Paynet, IT Park and Uzinfocom. On average, around nine months pass between the start of the core programme and an internship, which itself lasts three months.
“We report figures that can be verified: more than 550 of our students have already started internships, and there is no graduation without an internship. For us, employment is not the final destination: it is important to understand how our graduates develop professionally,” said School 21 Executive Director Zarina Lukhmanova.
Graduate stories
During a press tour of the Tashkent campus, graduates spoke about what they did before joining School 21 and where they work now. Twenty-four-year-old Timur Jalilov worked night shifts at a hotel reception desk while taking part in the selection “pool”. He is now a UX/UI designer at the Agency for Strategic Development and Reforms under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Kamola Mamatova, who has a degree in economics, joined School 21 without any programming experience and now works as a business analyst at EPAM Systems. Eighteen-year-old Daniil Mishin joined the school while still a school pupil, having taught himself Linux and Python. Since September 2026, he has worked as a junior cybersecurity engineer at AVO.
Some graduates have become mentors. Kamola Mamatova, Shakhzodabonu Saidakhmedova and Solikha Dagarova work as mentors at Digital Kaleidoscope. This free IT programme is designed for women aged 18–24 from the Ferghana Valley and is run by School 21 together with Women in Tech Uzbekistan, with financial support from the European Union.
Employers also spoke at the press tour. Shukhrat Normatov, an IT Project Manager at Uzum, said that when assessing a newcomer, he values not a diploma but the ability to work through a task independently, ask the right questions and deliver results.
How the school works
School 21 teaches programming and other digital professions without teachers, lectures or grades. Participants work on projects and review one another’s code. The Tashkent and Samarkand campuses are open around the clock, and the project is implemented with the support of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies. Participants can choose from 15 educational tracks. The average age of applicants taking part in the selection “pools” is 22, and more than half have no previous programming experience.
Since its launch, the school has received more than 140,000 applications. More than 15,000 people have taken part in its intensive selection programmes, while over 3,600 have started the core programme, according to data as of 9 November 2026.
How to apply
The next selection “pool” in Tashkent and Samarkand will begin on 30 November. Applications are being accepted through 26 November inclusive on the 21-school.uz website. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, although 17-year-olds may apply with parental consent. No programming experience or diploma is required.
The application process consists of submitting an online application, completing an online game, meeting the school team, submitting documents and taking part in a 14-day “pool” at the campus. An admission decision is made after the selection programme.
Training is free at every stage. Both campuses have dormitories for participants aged 18 and over, but places are limited.
