Tajikistan

by Paul Bacsich for Re.ViCa

For entities in Tajikistan see Category:Tajikistan

Partners situated in Tajikistan

None.

Tajikistan in a nutshell

(sourced from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistan)

Tajikistan (Russian: Тоҷикистон), officially the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik: Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.

The population is 7.3 million.

The capital is Dushanbe.

Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who share culture and history with Afghanistan and speak the Persian language (officially referred to as Tajiki in Tajikistan). Once part of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). Mountains cover over 90% of this Central Asian republic.

After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating civil war which lasted from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Trade in commodities such as cotton and aluminium wire has contributed greatly to this steady improvement. In Tajikistan about 20% of the population lives on less than US$1.25 per day.

Tajikistan consists of four administrative divisions. These are the provinces (viloyat) of Sughd and Khatlon, the autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan (abbreviated as GBAO), and the Region of Republican Subordination (RRP – Raiony Respublikanskogo Podchineniya in transliteration from Russian or NTJ – Ноҳияҳои тобеи ҷумҳурӣ in Tajik; formerly known as Karotegin Province).

Each region is divided into several districts (Tajik: Ноҳия, nohiya or raion), which in turn are subdivided into jamoats (village-level self-governing units) and then villages (qyshloqs).

As of 2006, there were 58 districts and 367 jamoats in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan is landlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is covered by mountains of the Pamir range, and more than 50% of the country is over 3,000 meters (approx. 10,000 ft) above sea level. The only major areas of lower land are in the north (part of the Fergana Valley), and in the southern Kofarnihon and Vakhsh river valleys, which form the Amu Darya. Dushanbe is located on the southern slopes above the Kofarnihon valley.

Tajikistan is a secular state with a Constitution providing for freedom of religion. The Government has declared two Islamic holidays, Id Al-Fitr and Idi Qurbon, as state holidays.

According to a 2009 US State Department release, the population of Tajikistan is 98% Muslim, (approximately 95% Sunni and 3% Shia). The remaining 2% of the population are Jews, Zoroastrians and ethnic Russian followers of Russian Orthodoxy. The great majority of Muslims fast during Ramadan, although only about one third in the countryside and 10% in the cities observe daily prayer and dietary restrictions.

Tajikistan education policy

2002-2005 public spending on education was 3.5 % of the GDP. According to a UNICEF-supported survey indicates that about 25 per cent of girls in Tajikistan fail to complete compulsory primary education because of poverty and gender bias. Literacy is general in Tajikistan.

Schools in Tajikistan

Schools in Tajikistan provide all student with middle education. It means that when students finish their school year, they will go to universities, colleges, institutes or other places in or get high education. There are three kinds of schools. They are: Lyceum, Gymnasium (school) and Middle schools. So all schools have the same same type of teaching. But there might be some differences. For example in the Middle schools they will teach strictly according to government rules.

Lyceum is a special type of school that provides students with outdoor activities and additional activities, but they also follow government rules.

Gymnasium (school) is similar to Lyceum, but there is more flexibility - e.g. students can study in any language they want (Russian language, Tajik language).

Higher education

Tajikistan has many universities.

Some Universities have cooperations with different countries. Like Russia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and others.

Universities in Tajikistan

The list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Tajikistan gives:

1. Tajikistan State University of Law, Business, & Politics
2. Tajikistan Humanitarian International University
3. Liberty University of Tajikistan
4. Kulyab State University
5. Kurgan-Tyube State University named after Nasir Khusraw
6. Tajik University of Law, Business and Politics in Khujand
7. Khujand State University named after academician Bobojon Ghafurov
8. Khorugh State University named after M. Nazarshoyev
9. Tajikistan-Russian Modern University
10. Tajikistan University of Technology
11. Technical University of Tajikistan
12. Tajik State University of Commerce
13. Tajik-Russian Slavic University
14. Tajikistan-Russian Modern University
15. Tajik State Medical University named after Avicenna
16. Agricultural University of Tajikistan
17. Tajik State Pedagogical University named after Jurayev
18. Tajik State National University
19. Technical University of Tajikistan, named after M. Asimi
20. University of Central Asia, Khorog, GBAO - http://www.ucentralasia.org
21. University of Khajuraho
22. Khujand Branch of the Technical University of Tajikistan

Web sites seem hard to find.

Polytechnics in Tajikistan

No information.

Education reform

Reforming of the educational system in general and of higher education in particular is going on and the country faces many difficulties relating to the demographic status in the country, financing the education system, insufficiency of legal-normative framework, conditions of transmission to the market economy. Ministry of education of Tajikistan has worked out main priorities in reforming the higher education (HE) in the Republic of Tajikistan (Strategic Directions of Long Term Reforms of Educational System of Tajikistan for the years 2004-2015). For more details see http://tempus.tj

The Bologna Process

For progress on this around 2008 see http://www.asiaplus.tj/en/news/42/32945.html

Administration and finance

The Parliament of the Republic of Tajikistan adopted the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan On education(1993), the Standard Provisions on educational establishment of higher vocational education(1996), the State educational standard of secondary and higher vocational education(2002), On national education concept of the Republic of Tajikistan(2002).

Quality assurance

See http://www.asiaplus.tj/en/news/42/60324.html

Virtual initiatives

Re.ViCa Case-study

None.

Lessons learnt

None so far.

References

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For OER policies and projects in Tajikistan see Tajikistan/OER

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