DUSHANBE, August 18, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- This year, university students will not be sent to cotton plantations, Narzullo Dadaboyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, an appropriate instruction on this subject was given to all relevant persons during the ministry meeting that was held in Dushanbe recently.

“Indeed, many cotton-growing districts are able to gather cotton on their own without use of student labor during the cotton harvest,” said the spokesman, “However, there are districts that cannot do without outside assistance.  For example, the Mastchoh and Zafarobod districts in the Sughd province every year enlist the services of local students to work the cotton harvest because the population of these districts is not enough to gather cotton they produce.”

In Tajikistan, especially in the Sughd province, each year, thousands of students are found not on university campuses but on cotton plantations for over one month during the academic year.  This issue has been repeatedly discussed at various meetings for the purpose of raising public awareness and drawing the attention of local authorities to the rights of students to receive a quality education.