Chapter 1. Introduction: Understanding Political Economy of Education in Central Asia: the review of the challenges (Assel Sharimova, Naureen Durrani and Hélène Thibault ) -- Chapter 2. Political economy of Soviet education in Kazakhstan: A critical review (Diana Toimbek) -- Chapter 3. The right to education of disabled children in Semipalatinsk in the context of the post-Cold War (Aigerim Mussabalinova) -- Chapter 4. Religion and education in contemporary Uzbekistan: Religious and spiritual challenges in public education (Zilola Khalilova) -- Chapter 5. Islam, women, and higher education in Uzbekistan (Rahimjon Abdugafurov) -- Chapter 6. Exploring STEM teacher educators’ understanding of gender-responsive pedagogies in Kazakhstan (Ainur Almukhambetova) -- Chapter 7. Gender, language and social inequalities in the textbooks in the History of Kazakhstan (Zhazira Bekzhanova) -- Chapter 8. Medium of instruction, national identity and attitudes towards gender roles (Alexandra Nam) -- Chapter 9. The politics of languages in education: issues of access to education and labour market participation of minority ethnic groups in Kazakhstan (Fariza Tolesh) -- Chapter 10. Equity-minded assessment from the perceptions of university stakeholders in Tajikistan (Vasila Bozichaeva) -- Chapter 11. A political economy analysis of factors influencing the expansion of Russian (Sherzod Khaydarov) -- Chapter 12. The role of NGOs within the education sector (Natalya Hanley).

Open Access

This open access book is intended as an original contribution to the conversation on the role and challenges of education in Central Asia to promote social cohesion by looking at Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Examining education challenges within the countries’ wider historical, social, political, and cultural context, the contributions explore existing discourses concerning national identity, religion, language, gender, inclusion, internationalisation of education, and non-state actors through a Political Economy Analysis (PEA) lens. With the understanding that education is both a powerful mechanism of social reproduction in societies and a driver of social change, the book attempts to promote political economy analysis of education as a helpful analytical tool for educational debates and reform agendas in the region and thus will be a valuable resource for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars in this region and beyond. Naureen Durrani is a Professor in School Education at the Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University (NU), where she directs the Central Asian Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Transformation (CARCEIT). Before joining NU, she worked at the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex. Hélène Thibault is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the School of Sciences and Humanities at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. .