I. General provisions

1. The Tashkent University of Information Technologies named after Muhammad al-Khwarizmi (hereinafter “the University”) is committed to a working and learning environment based on mutual respect, tolerance and inclusion, in which every employee, student and visitor is treated fairly.

2. This Policy establishes the University’s commitments to prevent discrimination, ensure equal opportunities for women and men, widen access for underrepresented groups and support persons with disabilities.

3. The Policy has been prepared in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Law “On Guarantees of Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men”, the Law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, the Law “On Education”, the Labour Code and the international treaties of the Republic of Uzbekistan, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

4. The Policy covers the University and all its activities and operations, including employment, admission, teaching and assessment, student services and accommodation, and relations with visitors, partners and contractors.

II. Terms used in this Policy

5. The following terms are used in this Policy:

discrimination – any distinction, exclusion or less favourable treatment of a person, direct or indirect, on the basis of a protected characteristic;

protected characteristics – sex; age; disability; marital and family status; pregnancy and maternity; race, colour, ethnicity, nationality and language; religion or belief; social origin and socio-economic background; place of residence; health status; refugee or migrant status; trade union membership; and any other characteristic protected by law;

underrepresented groups – groups with particular barriers to higher education, including women in engineering and IT programmes, students from rural areas and low-income families, persons with disabilities, first-generation students and ethnic minorities;

reasonable accommodation – necessary and appropriate adjustments to premises, teaching, assessment or working arrangements that enable a person with a disability to study or work on an equal basis with others.

III. Anti-discrimination

6. The University does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic in any of its activities or operations, including employment, education, services, procurement and partnerships.

IV. Non-discrimination against women

7. Women are not discriminated against in admission, study, assessment, employment, pay, promotion or appointment to management positions. Pay scales depend on position, qualification and academic degree, irrespective of sex.

V. Access and participation of women

8. The University implements measures addressing women’s applications, acceptance, entry and participation, especially in engineering and IT programmes, including outreach to schoolgirls (such as “Girls in ICT” days), the use of state grants and quotas for women, and the involvement of women students in research and student self-government.

9. The University runs mentoring schemes for women students with women academics and alumni and aims for at least 10 per cent of women students to take part.

10. The University tracks every year the application, acceptance, entry and graduation rates of women compared with men, and introduces measures to close any gap identified.

VI. Non-discriminatory admissions

11. Admission is based on merit and on the Admission Rules published every year; no applicant is refused admission on the basis of a protected characteristic. Positive measures are applied only as provided by law, such as quotas and additional grants for persons with disabilities, women and applicants from low-income families, and their purpose is explained in the published admission information.

VII. Underrepresented groups

12. The University tracks the applications and admissions of underrepresented groups and takes planned actions to recruit students and staff from these groups, such as outreach to rural schools, preparatory courses and accessible recruitment procedures, and provides support to them during their studies.

VIII. Persons with disabilities

13. The University provides accessible facilities and reasonable accommodation for students and employees with disabilities, and plans adequate funding for this in its annual budget. Requests for accommodation are considered confidentially and promptly by the student and employee support service.

IX. Complaints and responsibilities

14. Complaints of discrimination are considered under the Anti-Harassment and Protection of Complainants Policy (TUIT-SP-11), which protects those who report discrimination from any disadvantage.

15. The Vice-Rector for Youth Affairs and the Department of Youth Work, Spirituality and Education organise the implementation of this Policy and prepare the annual equality, diversity and inclusion report. The Admissions Office, the Academic Affairs Department and the Human Resources Department are responsible for tracking data in their areas.

X. Monitoring and expected results

16. The annual report contains: application, acceptance, entry and graduation rates of women and men; admissions of underrepresented groups; staff composition by sex; accommodation requests and funds spent; and anonymised data on discrimination complaints.

17. Expected results by 2030: a steady increase in the share of women among new entrants to engineering and IT programmes; at least 10 per cent of women students in mentoring schemes; all main buildings accessible to persons with disabilities.

XI. Final provisions

18. This Policy is reviewed at least once every two years, and earlier if there are significant changes in legislation or in the activities of the University. Amendments are approved by the University Council.

19. This Policy enters into force on the date of its approval by the University Council and replaces the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy adopted in 2022.

20. This Policy is published on the official website of the University (tuit.uz/sustainability) in Uzbek and English and remains publicly available.