Crime among students has increased sharply

At the 10th plenary session of the Senate, the growing crime rate among students of higher educational institutions in Uzbekistan was discussed. According to official data, in the first half of this year, students of 102 universities were involved in 307 crimes.

For comparison, in 2024, a total of 761 crimes were committed by students. The figures for just six months of this year demonstrate how serious the situation has become.

The majority of crimes consisted of traffic accidents, theft, hooliganism, fraud, and various bodily injuries. Geographically, most offenses occurred in the capital and major regions — Tashkent city, Tashkent, Bukhara, Namangan, Andijan, Samarkand, Fergana, and Surkhandarya regions.

By universities, the leaders were Tashkent State Transport University, National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent State Technical University, University of Information Technologies, and Tashkent State University of Economics.

Experts noted that in many cases, crimes were committed during students’ free time in the study process — from 08:00 to 16:00. This indicates insufficient supervision in educational institutions.

Senators additionally emphasized that there are also serious shortcomings in student dormitories and their supervision. According to a decision adopted in 2021, each student was supposed to be assigned a tutor. However, many universities are not complying with this requirement.

It was also reported that not only students but also officials working in the sector have been prosecuted for corruption-related crimes. This has increased public complaints and dissatisfaction regarding injustice.

At the end of the discussion, the Senate decided to send a parliamentary inquiry to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Qongʻirotboy Sharipov. The goal is to prevent crime among students and eliminate shortcomings in the system.