This is a translation of the post by Provincialka published in the Russian language blog.

Each year, twenty students, who have been studying for 9 semesters (4.5 years), are sent to undergo internships at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. It is a dream of thousands of students and potential graduates of universities of Uzbekistan, as the MFA is considered to be one of the prestigious places, where students can gain experience doing internships there. However, not everything is so good, as it seems at first sight.

“We were sent to different departments depending on topics of our thesis papers”, - says my acquaintance from the University of Economy and Diplomacy, who was lucky enough to be selected into these twenty “elite” students, - “my joy and happiness of my family did not have any limits! I was already planning my future, seeing it within the walls of MFA”, - continues Aibek (name is changed due to security measures) sharing with me his expectations from internship at MFA.

As Aibek continues, the first day has changed all his previous expectations and impressions about work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. Aibek was shocked witnessing the functioning system of the ministry which, by definition, should “work hard for the country’s good image in the political arena of the world”. This made students “come down to earth” and face realities of service in MFA.

Asia and Africa Management Department became a shelter for the hero of today’s story, who shortly after became «an amorphous being» in the ministry’s life.

During the following incomplete three months (from the beginning of March till mid of May) Aibek’s duties included not “introducing professional skills to the future experts in the field of diplomacy and international relations” as it is beautifully stated in documents (letter of referral from university), but copying documents or their termination (thank goodness, there are special shredders for that), at the best taking documents for the signature to high officials and translating insignificant texts from English, or other foreign language.

However, the most insulting thing for Aibek during his internship was, as he calls it, “writing research works” for employees of the department where he worked. “I collected material for the deputy director of a department. If the student expresses indignation, it is considered to be insubordination and a student cannot get good recommendation letter to submit to the University after the completion of the internship. In this case a student can get unsatisfactory mark for his internship, which is fraught with serious consequences. Expulsion could be one of them. Can you imagine that? One studies five years and in the end, when s/he is within an inch of getting a diploma, gets expelled for disobeying corrupt orders?”

Aibek had to accept the situation, for he didn’t have any other choices. He collected material, analyzed it and wrote necessary missing parts of a dissertation. By the completion of the internship, except the skills of writing others academic works (far to be called ideal, as they lacked basic Academic Writing skills), Aibek has received nothing. He was given a plain standard recommendation that allowed him “peacefully leave” the department… a department that is respected by ordinary people… people who didn’t work there.

Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs loses its future experts, who usually change their future career goals after the internship at MFA… except those, who do not have any other choices than working within the walls of corrupt Ministry of Foreign Affairs “representing interests of Uzbekistan.”

This is the way Uzbek MFA employees write their dissertations. It reminds the university cases, when professors, forcing students to turn to them, write students’ works for money.

This is how internal education policy of the Uzbek state structures is organized.

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Comments to this post:

Alisher Taksanov says: I had worked at MFA of Uzbekistan ten years ago. The post proves that nothing has changed. I was assigned to work at President’s apparatus for three months, where I wrote a dissertation on IR for one person, who was one of the chiefs at MFA. After he defended his dissertation, he was sent to Iran for diplomatic service. When he came back, he was assigned for the position of a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. This is a usual thing there, therefore, I am not surprised. I just regret for wasted time.