It was recently declared that in 2001, Uzbekistan's pension system would not be financed by the state budget, as it was previously, but by payments from business entities and organizations. It is the next step in the policy of dismantling the social security system of Uzbekistan, pursued persistently by the Uzbekistan government. A free health care system no longer exists in Uzbekistan. Even in those rare cases when its services are free of charge, one must be prepared to pay. The Uzbekistan educational system is free only to some extent.
Many students pay their own tuition, while some are sponsored by organizations.
But even if education is supposedly free, students still must pay a significant amount for their studies. It is hard to attract qualified people by with such poor salaries that are paid to teachers. Education has fallen into a dire condition. From an outside perspective to someone unfamiliar with the specific conditions of Uzbekistan, steps to remove the burden of social security off the government's back may seem to be well justified and quite in line with the implementation of market reforms. As healthcare and education are costly, why not have people pay for them.