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Good practice Imported

Smart School — Tashkent's AI Attendance-Monitoring Cameras (Uzbekistan)

Uzbekistan · Tashkent · See the Uzbekistan profile · See the Tashkent profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 100% 7/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Following an August 2025 mayoral decree, Tashkent piloted AI facial-recognition cameras for school attendance — with public backlash over undisclosed data practices, absent consent procedures, and no published accuracy or outcome evaluation to date.

412,000–2,060,000 UZS
Fine range for a first unexcused-absence violation
250 classrooms across 31 schools
Classrooms across schools originally floated for the 2025–26 rollout
Smart School — Tashkent's AI Attendance-Monitoring Cameras (Uzbekistan)

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Ministry of Preschool and School Education of Uzbekistan / Tashkent City Khokimiyat
Period
2025–present (pilot)
Keywords
education, attendance monitoring, facial recognition, school surveillance, data governance

Context

Following an August 2025 decree from the Tashkent City Khokimiyat (mayor's office), Uzbekistan's Ministry of Preschool and School Education began piloting AI facial-recognition cameras in Tashkent schools to monitor student attendance, as a supplement to teacher-recorded attendance in the existing e-maktab platform. Unexcused absences are tied to a graduated fine of roughly 412,000–2,060,000 UZS for a first violation, doubling for repeats. The scheme traces back to a 2021 Ministry proposal for Face ID-based attendance, developed jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Results

As of May 2026 the cameras remain a limited pilot in schools of Tashkent's Mirzo-Ulugbek district, well short of the 250 classrooms across 31 Almazar-district schools originally floated for the 2025–26 rollout. No accuracy, attendance-improvement or dropout-reduction data has been published. Public reaction has been largely critical: parents and commentators raised the absence of a transparent consent process or clear rules on data storage and access for biometric data collected from minors, compounded by a related controversy over an undisclosed surveillance camera found in a school locker room.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Preschool and School Education, Ministry of Internal Affairs (joint development), Tashkent City Khokimiyat

Conditions for success

  • a transparent, documented consent process for biometric data collected from minors
  • clear published rules on data storage and access
  • an independent accuracy/outcome evaluation before wider rollout

Common failure modes

  • no transparent consent process
  • no published accuracy or outcome data
  • prior data breaches eroding public trust
  • related undisclosed-camera scandal reinforcing distrust

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Data sources

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