NU GSE PhD candidate Vanessa Ozawa delivered a lecture on “Approaching Educational Research in Central Asia Using a Political Economy Lens” on November 18^th in Tashkent. The event was held at Creative School named after Abdulla Qodiriy under the Agency for Presidential Educational Institutions and the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. As a hybrid mode, teachers from Presidential Schools across Uzbekistan, including a representative from the Agency, attended the event. The lecture explored existing inequalities and tensions in Central Asia through the critical approach of Political Economy Analysis of Education (PEA) and examined the role of education in building cohesive and inclusive societies. This event was a part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)-funded Project, Political Economy of Education Research (PEER) Network Central Asian hub, which is led by Professor Naureen Durrani (PI) and Vanessa belongs to as a Research Assistant. The Project aims to bring scholars together to address inequalities in Central Asia. This is being done through a broad local collaborative network and supporting the development of critical researchers through the PEA.