DUSHANBE, January 16, Asia-Plus  -- High-quality education depends on professionalism of personnel, Education Minister Abdujabbor Rahmonov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 14. 

According to him, schools in Tajikistan are continuing to experience an acute shortage of teachers.  More than 3,000 young specialists that graduated from teachers’ training institutions last year and were placed in teaching jobs have not come to schools, the minister said.  

“We intend to apply to the High Economic Court to make graduates, who were placed in teaching jobs and did not come to their places of work, reimburse budgetary funds spent on their studying,” Rahmonov said 

In the meantime, speaking to journalists in Dushanbe last week, Khudoynazar Asozoda, Chancellor of Tajik State Teachers’ Training University, said that 660 people graduated from the university last year.  Only 50 percent of them are working with schools.  According to the chancellor, the main reason for such situation is improper support provided by local authorities to young teachers.  

According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), more than 5,000 people graduated from higher and secondary-special teachers’ raining institutions last year.  Meanwhile, Tajikistan now has some 7,000 teaching vacancies.