School scandal causes disruption for thousands of students in Uzbek province

EURASIA INSIGHT September 1 With the school-year set to begin in Uzbekistan, a school construction scandal is causing disruption for thousands of students in Kashkadarya Province. At least 18 schools will be unable to open in province, including five in the regional capital of Karshi, when classes resume nationwide on September 2. The buildings were supposed to undergo capital repairs over the summer, but the firm charged with doing the work got a late start on the project and could not make up for lost time. A meeting of school principals, convened recently under the auspices of provincial authorities, decided that students from the affected schools would be transferred to the nearest schools that are able to function. The decision means thousands of students will be forced to walk significant distances to attend classes. It also will cause acute overcrowding at many schools in the region. School teachers say the scandal stands to greatly complicate their job. As it is, both teachers and students routinely spend months out of the school year performing what is tantamount to forced labor in the province s agricultural fields, helping to gather the harvest and other tasks. "What quality of education can we speak about here," said one teacher in Karshi, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There is [already] a shortage of teachers and class rooms. Now they added additional 10-15 students to each class." The scandal sheds light on the Uzbek government s inefficiency, as officials on the local, provincial and national level have engaged in mutual recrimination over who is to blame for the current situation. "It yet again points to the government s inability to ensure the implementation of its own rulings," said independent political analyst Alimardon Annayev. "Governors realize their impunity and allocate the money at their own discretion. ... They [officials] just want to find a scapegoat: today it may be the contractors; tomorrow they might blame teachers for their failure to instruct a new generation in the spirit of patriotism." While the company contracted to handle the renovation project, known as Dekhkonkurilish, may ultimately be held responsible, various sources say the firm has not performed in a negligent fashion. Instead, the problem, several sources admitted, was caused by a delay in the transfer of state funds to the company, which could not begin work due to a shortage of money. A local source placed the primary blame on Uzbekistan s Ministry of Finance, alleging that it did not authorize the transfer of the first tranche of funds to pay for the work until July. Others blamed officials in charge of the provincial capital s branch of the National Bank, as well as the regional administration. The overall cost of the renovation project was estimated at $2.3 million. The firm has yet to receive the total amount. A representative of the provincial administration s office claimed that the money was transferred by Tashkent to Karshi in a timely fashion, but local officials held up payment to the contractor. Provincial officials suggested that the mayor s office may have diverted the funds in order to pay for construction projects associated with a planned celebration in October of the 2,700th anniversary of Karshi s founding. An official at Uzbekistan s Central Bank suggested that such a diversion, if it occurred, would be illegal, as the transfer was specifically earmarked for school repairs. Students interviewed by EurasiaNet were taking the scandal in stride. "We spend months in cotton fields, planting, weeding and picking the crop," said one high school student, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "So, we do not spend much time at our desks anyway."