DUSHANBE, August 17, Asia-Plus — 3,830 high schools now function in Tajikistan and another 78 schools will open this schools year, Education Minister Abdujabbor Rahmonov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.  

The minister said that nine of those new 78 schools had been built by the ministry’s capital construction directorate.  “Seven schools to accommodate totaling 1,344 pupils have been built in Khatlon and two schools to accommodate 896 pupils have been built in Sughd,” Rahmonov said, adding that another 69 schools were built within the framework of different projects.  

Besides, the ministry has started construction of a republican lyceum for talented children in Dushanbe and a presidential boarding school for orphan children in Qurghon Teppa (Khatlon) this year, according to him.  

 The minister added that high schools in Tajikistan are expected to accept 177,700 first-formers this school year.  

Asked about types of educational facilities functioning in the country, the minister said that 145 new type schools, including nine private and 84 grammar schools as well as 50 lyceums, now function in the republic.  “These educational facilities are funded by private persons or organizations,” said Rahmonov, “These schools have better material and technical basis and pupils to attend these schools are competitively selected.”    

He noted that at present 19 Russian-language schools with totaling 11,200 pupils, 90 schools with Tajik and Russian languages of teaching (totaling 103,200 pupils), 29 schools with Tajik, Russian and Uzbek languages of teaching (38,700 pupils), one school with Tajik, Russian and Kyrgyz languages of teaching (771 pupils), and one school with Uzbek, Russian and Kyrgyz languages of teaching, accommodating 338 pupils, function in Tajikistan.  

Rahmonov also noted that schools in Tajikistan are experiencing an acute shortages of teachers of the Russian and English languages, Tajik language and literature, chemistry, physics, geography, history and information technologies.  According to him, Tajikistan now has 6,209 teaching vacancies. 

The minister also said that 28 higher educational institutions with totaling 146,219 students now function in the country.  Another 28,040 students have been accepted this academic year, according to him.