Uzbekistan Education Reform | 72011519APS00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72011519APS00001

The Uzbekistan Education Reform grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 72011519APS00001) is a USAID-funded initiative designed to help Uzbekistan accelerate broad education reforms aimed at modernizing the basic education system and better aligning it with the country’s long-term human capital and workforce needs. The focus is on improving the quality of primary and secondary education service delivery, with an emphasis on practical, measurable gains in student learning outcomes. The activity is structured to bring scientific, technological, and innovative methods into the education system and to involve a wide range of partners, including members of the higher education community, to strengthen the pipeline of expertise, research, and teacher preparation that supports schools.

A central feature of the opportunity is close collaboration with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Public Education (MOPE) and the broader Government of Uzbekistan (GOU). Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model, the project is expected to jointly identify, select, and support targeted interventions in individual primary and secondary schools or in clusters of schools across the country. The intent is to demonstrate and scale approaches that make schools function better on the ground, not just in policy documents. The activity targets core levers of education improvement: strengthening school management, upgrading teacher training and professional development, improving day-to-day instructional practice in classrooms, and enhancing the development and effective use of learning materials. Those materials include both traditional resources (such as textbooks and printed supplements) and ICT-enabled tools, indicating a push toward more modern, technology-supported teaching and learning where appropriate.

The opportunity also highlights governance and systems strengthening as a key reform pillar. Beyond classroom instruction, the activity is expected to develop and promote methods that increase transparency and accountability within schools. This includes improving how schools are managed and how education services are delivered, with the goal of making performance more visible and decision-making more responsible to students, parents, and government stakeholders. In practice, this kind of work often involves strengthening planning and monitoring processes, improving the use of data for management decisions, and establishing clearer accountability mechanisms so that resources, training, and interventions translate into real improvements in learning.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, the award is planned as a Cooperative Agreement, which typically means USAID expects substantial engagement during implementation rather than a fully hands-off grant. The opportunity is listed under the Education activity category and uses CFDA number 98.012. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of qualified entity), subject to any additional eligibility conditions that may be included in the full solicitation text. USAID Kazakhstan (USAID-Almaty) is the issuing agency office. The opportunity was created on April 24, 2019, with an original closing date of May 31, 2019. USAID anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $19,500,000, suggesting a single, large implementer (or a lead organization with partners) would be responsible for delivering the national-level set of interventions and coordinating closely with government counterparts.

Overall, the grant opportunity is aimed at transforming the way Uzbekistan’s schools operate and deliver instruction by combining systems-level governance improvements with practical, school-centered interventions. The expected outcome is stronger school management, better-prepared teachers, improved classroom instruction, more effective learning materials including ICT tools, and a more transparent and accountable education system that ultimately produces better student learning results nationwide.

• The Agency for International Development, Kazakhstan USAID-Almaty in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Uzbekistan Education Reform" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.012.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 24, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 31, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $19,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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