Teachers from a secondary school in Uzbekistan’s Navoi region reported that the head (hokim) of Karmana district summoned them to the district administration building and forced them to stand during a meeting for nearly an hour following his dissatisfaction with students’ answers during a school visit.

According to report published by the independent news outlet Kun.uz, the incident occurred on March 12 at School No. 9 in the Hazora village of Karmana district. During a meeting with students and teachers, district hokim Shohrukh Boltayev asked students various questions and requested that they recite poetry. When the students, apparently nervous, failed to respond to his satisfaction, the governor became angry.

Following the visit, Boltayev reportedly ordered that all teachers from the school be transported by bus to the district administration building later that day. Forty-six teachers, most of them women, traveled about 30 kilometers to the hokimiyat building to attend the meeting.

Upon arrival at around 5:00 p.m., the teachers were kept waiting. When the governor eventually arrived 30 minutes later, he reportedly conducted the meeting during which he reprimanded the teachers, forced them to stand for the duration of the hour-long meeting and instructed local education officials to conduct inspections at the school.

Several teachers told journalists that the incident was humiliating and upsetting. Some said they had been fasting at the time and could only break their fast with water on their way home.

The governor justified his actions by claiming that neither students nor teachers were able to answer his questions during the school visit and argued that the district authorities were trying to improve the quality of education. He also claimed the meeting had lasted only about ten minutes, although teachers disputed this account.

According to the teachers, two of the school’s assistant principals have subsequently submitted their resignations.

The Ministry of Preschool and School Education later stated that it was reviewing the situation following reports circulating in the media and on social networks.

Local officials in Uzbekistan retain significant influence over schools and public sector employees, and educators often have little ability to refuse instructions or challenge the conduct of district authorities. Incidents in which local officials publicly reprimand or pressure educators are not uncommon.

Commenting on this incident, journalist Zafar Solijonov wrote:

“This case in Navoi, where teachers were put on a bus and taken to the district administration, made to stand because their students were too nervous to recite poems properly, needs to be widely discussed. The main issue is the interference of local hokims in the education system.

Why do they keep interfering everywhere just because they claim to represent the President? Why do such officials hold pointless meetings and waste everyone’s time? What right did they have to force 46 teachers to travel 30 km after work? Why is the Ministry responsible for labor rights staying silent? Why is only the Ministry of Education reacting in this situation?

Your entire system is worthless—it is designed to produce obedient, order-following robots. It must change. The most important question: why hasn’t this hokim been dismissed? Why is he allowed to continue working? The idea that hokims should be responsible for education quality must be ended.”

In 2018, the government announced that schools would be removed from the jurisdiction of the hokimiyats. Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov instructed the Ministry of Public Education to strengthen the status of teachers and limit interference by local authorities. Nevertheless, such practices continue, raising concerns about respect for teachers’ professional dignity and the persistence of authoritarian administrative methods in local governance.