Westminster has renewed its agreement with the Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) to continue its academic provision for another five years.
The new agreement was signed during a recent visit to London by a delegation from Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), led by the Rector Dr Komiljon Karimov. The occasion was marked by a lecture from Dr Karimov to Westminster students and colleagues entitled Uzbekistan on the Path to Reform.
The University of Westminster founded WIUT in 2002, in conjunction with the Foundation of the then-President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Since then, Westminster provision of internationally recognised degree programmes has been provided to thousands of students at WIUT. The partnership is now 23 years old and during that time the number of students taking Westminster degrees in Uzbekistan has grown from 120 to 6000 and over 5500 alumni.
Students can study at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level in a range of subject areas including Business and Management, Economics and Law. The University also offers a number of specialised Master's programmes including the first Public Health Science MSc course in Uzbekistan.
Alongside academic provision, the partnership offers opportunities for student and colleague mobility as well as research and knowledge exchange. Joint research opportunities between Westminster and WIUT have been enhanced through the founding of the Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies and the establishment of the publication Silk Road: A Journal for Eurasian Development, published by the University of Westminster Press.
Westminster remains committed to supporting equality, diversity and inclusion through the partnership, for example at events such as the annual Uzbek-British Education Forum which was jointly organised this year with WIUT, the British Council in Uzbekistan and London South Bank University. The University has also supported projects such as the Inclusive University Initiative (IUI), launched in 2022 by the British Council, WIUT and Westminster in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of the Republic of Uzbekistan (MHESI), with support from the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The project is intended to support the enhancement of inclusive education in Higher Education in Uzbekistan.
Dr Komiljon Karimov and Professor Peter Bonfield.
About the partnership with Westminster, Dr Karimov said: “By signing this agreement, we celebrate another important milestone in our longstanding partnership with the University of Westminster, the partnership that has a strong, long-lasting positive societal impact. We truly appreciate our collaboration and look forward to deepening and widening the scope of our partnership with the University of Westminster in future for the benefit of WIUT’s students, colleagues and our community.”
Professor Peter Bonfield, University of Westminster Vice-Chancellor and President, commented: “We were very pleased to have the opportunity once again to welcome Dr Karimov and colleagues to the University, especially to mark such a major milestone. Our partnership with WIUT is hugely important to us and as we look back at the last twenty-three years of collaboration we look forward to the future with huge confidence and excitement.”
Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Employability and Global Engagement at the University of Westminster, added: “The value of partnership and collaboration becomes ever more important in a world marked by differences, contestations and challenges. In addition to providing high quality education, our partnership with WIUT allows both our institutions to help students become responsible global citizens who can flourish in any profession they choose. It is an honour to witness and be part of the renewal.”
The renewal of the partnership directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the University of Westminster’s Transnational Education partner institutions.
