Uzbekistan to Establish a Research Institute of Psychology

Institute of Psychology and a new diagnostics system

In Uzbekistan a Research Institute of Psychology will be established. This is provided for by a presidential decree “On measures for the scientific development of the psychological service in the system of continuing education,” Daryo.uz reports. The institute will conduct scientific research in psychology, retrain and upskill specialists, and develop unified scientific and methodological approaches to improving the psychological service. Particular attention is planned to be paid to students’ psychological development, motivation to learn, academic stress, difficulties in mastering the curriculum, and social adaptation.

Three laboratories from 2027

From January 1, 2027, three laboratories will begin operating at the institute: digital psychology and artificial intelligence; psychology of education and psychological service; psychological health and prevention. The digital psychology laboratory will be tasked with developing the scientific and methodological foundations of psychological diagnostics, counseling, and prevention using artificial intelligence, as well as creating psychological support tools based on virtual assistants.

Mandatory diagnostics and support groups

Under the decree, teachers, educators, and students of all educational organizations will undergo targeted psychological diagnostics at least once per academic year. In preschools and schools, the new procedure will take effect from the 2026/2027 academic year, and in secondary specialized, vocational, and higher education institutions — from the 2027/2028 academic year. Based on the diagnostics results, teachers and students will be divided into three groups: “psychologically resilient,” “in need of psychological support,” and “in need of active psychological support.” Psychologists of educational institutions and mentor-psychologists will work with members of the latter two groups.

Psychologists’ qualifications and rewards for mentors

From January 1, 2027, the institute will be entitled to use state budget funds to retrain and upskill psychologists at state educational institutions; psychologists will be required to upskill at least once every five years. In addition, 150 mentor-psychologists who show the best results during the academic year will receive a one-time reward from the state budget equal to 20 times the minimum monthly wage. The first deputy prime minister — minister of education and science Erkin Turdikulov.

Why this matters

The decree directly affects all participants in the country’s education system: from preschool educators to university students, as it introduces mandatory annual psychological diagnostics and enshrines regular professional development for psychologists. In practical terms, this means a phased rollout of the new procedure starting from the 2026/2027 academic year in schools and kindergartens, the launch of three specialized laboratories in 2027, and financial incentives for mentor-psychologists. Editorial note: the sources describe a plan of measures but provide no data on the current state of the psychological service or its funding, so it is too early to speak of actual results.