DUSHANBE, June 30, 2008, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan’s Ministry of Education (MoE) and the University of Central Asia (UCA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 12.  The MoE was signed on the sidelines of the CIS education ministries’ conference in Bishkek.    

According to the UCA, the memorandum will allow expanding cooperation in improvement of legal foundation for education cooperation, education standards and curricula as well as innovative approaches in vocational-technical education.   

Under the signed document, the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) will implement the program of vocational-technical education based on international standards.      

The University of Central Asia was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan. The International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University was signed by His Highness the Aga Khan and the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations.

Established in 2006, the School of Professional and Continuing Education is the University’s first operational academic program. The School is Central Asia’s first provider of formal, university-based, non-degree educational programs. It emphasizes tertiary short-cycle education (TSCE), which gives students intense training, usually in one year or less, that results in a widely accepted qualification to perform industry-specific tasks.