DUSHANBE, December 29, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has provided €250,000 worth of technical assistance to vocational and technical schools in Tajikistan, according to the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Noilsho Nouraliyev, a spokesman for a MoE, said the assistance had been provided in the framework of the program of support for the reform of the initial vocational education and training system in Tajikistan.

“The technical assistance has been provided to four vocational and technical schools in the country, namely vocational and technical school # 66 in Dushanbe, vocational and technical school # 39 in the Tojikobod district, services vocational school in the city of Khujand and vocational school for oil-and-gas industry in the city of Isfara,” Nouraliyev said.

Thus, the Tojikobod vocation and technical school has received tractors, grain harvester and tractor-plow for the machine-and-tractor station and €20,000 for repairs to its workshops.  It has also received 20 bee-families.

Vocational and technical school # 66 in Dushanbe has received €65,000 for providing its workshops with all necessary equipment.  Similar assistance will be provided to the mentioned vocational and technical schools in Khujand and Isfara within the next few days as well, the spokesman said.

GTZ has been working in Tajikistan on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) since 1995.  GTZ is implementing the following programs and projects in Tajikistan: promotion of basic education; support for micro-finance services in rural regions; support for legal and judicial reform; food security program; and sustainable management of natural resources in Gorno Badakhshan; as well as multi-country projects such as HIV/AIDS and preventing addiction in Central Asia and sustainable use of natural resources in Central Asia