Indian student calls education at Tashkent Medical Academy a disaster; Ministry denies claims

The student's anonymous post on Reddit, published a month earlier, has sparked widespread debate online about the quality of education at TMA.

"Teachers barely speak English"

“I’m a first-year Indian medical student admitted to Tashkent Medical Academy (TMA) in February 2025. Honestly, I thought this university was trustworthy — low tuition fees, a foreign-based medical and surgical bachelor’s program, and a promising environment. I was wrong. The quality of education here is absolutely terrible, especially for international students like us.

First of all, the teachers can barely speak English. I’m not exaggerating — at times it feels like they’re reading from Google Translate. How can we possibly learn medicine if we can’t even understand the lectures? We're forced to take four hours of English classes. Bro, I didn’t come here to learn the alphabet — I came to learn anatomy!”

"Anatomy class is a joke"

“There’s a one-hour-and-20-minute anatomy class, and even that’s pitiful. They don’t actually teach anything. Sure, professors show up, but they just point to the textbook and say ‘this is the topic, learn it yourselves,’ and then leave. Sometimes, classes are cancelled at the last minute. They tell us, ‘the class will be online,’ but surprise — there’s no online class at all. We mostly study on our own, while they collect their salaries and disappear at will.”

Complaints about the dean and dormitory

“And then there’s the dean. The man’s nuts. He constantly harasses us about shaving our beards. I get it — maybe it’s some ‘ministry rule’ or whatever — but come on, man, my beard isn’t stopping me from passing exams. As for solving student issues? Forget it. He walks around pretending to be important while the dormitory is falling apart — especially the one for Indian students. It’s in disgusting condition.

Toilets are cleaned once a month at best, mold is everywhere, pipes are leaking — you name it. Every two months someone gets measles, and their genius solution is to randomly vaccinate us like we’re livestock. Hygiene here is a myth.”

"Exams are a circus"

“The education is so bad I don’t even know where to start. Even when teachers bother showing up, they just read from slides or tell us to study on our own. How are we supposed to become good doctors if no one actually teaches us anything?

Exams? A complete circus. They give you a PDF with 50 questions and tell you to memorize it. Then you take a computerized test, and almost all the questions come from that same PDF. So, you memorize, recite, and pass. Easiest exams ever — but what’s the point? I didn’t come here to play memory games. I came to study real medicine. No wonder this place produces ‘half-baked’ doctors. How on earth did India’s National Medical Commission even accredit this program? Someone needs to investigate.”

Ministry responds

In response to the post's viral spread, Minister of Higher Education Kongratbay Sharipov visited Tashkent Medical Academy and met with Indian students.

According to the ministry’s press office, Sharipov reviewed the academic processes and student living conditions at TMA, then held a discussion with foreign students, particularly those from India.

“During the conversation, students expressed satisfaction with the modern facilities at the university, and shared positive opinions regarding the quality of education, interaction with professors, and living conditions,” the ministry’s official statement reads.

The minister also instructed the university administration to improve conditions and amenities for international students.