Moderate expectations : barriers to access and complete higher education in Tajikistan - listening to stakeholders’ voices during the university entrance exam reform

With the adoption of sweeping changes in the governance of university admission, namely the implementation of the university entrance exam (UEE) in July 2014, and with broader reforms supported by the World Ban The UEE reform improves governance in only one step, if a key one, in the long process to access and complete higher education: this report uses an original stakeholder assessment conducted in March and April 2014 as well as a recent nationally representative household survey to examine other steps to access and complete higher education and give voice to stakeholders’ perspectives on the new reform. Tajikistan’s education system is undergoing potentially transformative change. This report presents the findings of a Technical Assistance to the Government of Tajikistan that conducted a stakeholder assessment and used nationally representative household data to examine: 1) barriers to accessing and completing higher education in Tajikistan, and 2) how these barriers could change with the UEE reform. The assessment was conducted before the implementation of the UEE reform in six communities and five universities. To enable comparative analysis, a standardized package of data collection instruments was applied in the field. The instruments feature gender- and generation-specific focus group discussions (FGD) and semi-structured individual interviews with the users of education services: high school and university students, parents, and out-of school youths. In addition, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with education providers: high school teachers and university professors. The data was conducted in urban, peri-urban and rural contexts.