I joined the American Chamber of Commerce Education Committee this year. We held a meeting on January 30 at the British Management University (BMU) campus. The new committee is finding its purpose on how to support English-language, private education in Uzbekistan. Around the table were private university leaders, an Education USA representative, a student recruitment agency, and me, with the TIS university counselor, representing the private K-12 sector. I think the biggest benefit for our school from the work of the committee will be communication with the Uzbek government. It is also good for us to understand what is happening in the higher education sector in Tashkent. With a growing number of English-language university programs and their ties to international universities (Webster, Arizona State, Reading, etc.) they will be a growing option for our graduates.
After the meeting, we took a tour of the British Management University and the Maple Bear International School campuses. They had a corporate headquarters feel as they are new campuses. BMU students from Bukhara, Nukus, and Fergana led the tour. I never thought about students from the regions coming to Tashkent for higher education. They lived in the dormitories on campus. The 1,500 BMU students for the time being, only pay around $3,000 annually for tuition. I don’t see this as a sustainable business model. The investors must have a 10 to 20-year plan to become profitable. The university partnered with Reading University in the UK and is developing a program with Microsoft as well. This is a good idea and strengthens both Reading and BMU.
AmCham always has photographers at its events. I uploaded two that featured me.
TIS Director's Blog 
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