Uzbekistan mandates Uzbek language finals for all graduates

According to the decree issued by the Minister of Preschool and School Education titled “On Amendments and Additions to the Regulation on Final State Attestation of General Secondary Education Students,” graduates from classes where the language of instruction is not Uzbek will now also be required to take an examination in the state language.

Under this regulation, the list, format, and schedule of subjects for final attestation in graduating classes will be approved each academic year by the Ministry of Preschool and School Education. For schools where the language of instruction is not Uzbek, the state language will be included in the list of compulsory subjects.

As part of the final state attestation, 11th-grade students will be assessed in both mandatory and elective subjects. From the list of elective subjects, students may choose those that correspond with their intended major for university entrance exams.

Public oversight boards and representatives of citizens’ self-governing bodies may attend the attestation sessions as observers on a voluntary basis.

Students who hold nationally or internationally recognized certificates in foreign languages or general education subjects will be exempt from the corresponding final exams. The list of accepted national and international certificates will be approved by the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

It is worth noting that back in February, it was announced that starting from 2025, 11th-grade students in general secondary schools where instruction is conducted in languages other than Uzbek will also be required to take final exams in the state language.