KHATLON, August 31, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Some 60,000 children in the southern Khatlon province will go to school for the first time this year, Khatlon governor Ghaybullo Avzalov remarked at a meeting with employees of local education sector in Qurghon Teppa on August 29.

The governor noted that the province now had more than 940 teaching vacancies, and therefore he instructed to enlist the services of retired teachers.

This year, the Khatlon authorities have asked the government to permit allotment of more than 9,000 hectares of unirrigated lands for housing, he noted.  “If the government supports us, these lands will be allotted for housing, first of all, to teachers and employees of the education sector,” Avzalov said.

The governor said that 83 percent of local girls have been involved in general compulsory education and more than 10,000 school leavers from Khatlon have studied at different higher educational institutions in the country and 83 others have studied abroad.

The Minister of Education Abdujabbor Rahmonov, who attended the meeting, congratulated those present on the beginning of a new academic year and expressed gratitude to local authorities for their contribution to enhancement of the education sector in the province.

The minister pointed to the necessity of developing of private educational facilities in Khatlon because compared to other regions Khatlon has dropped behind in this direction.

Rahmonov added that five education development support projects for a total amount of 11 million euros were currently being implemented in Khatlon.  The government has provided 15 million somoni for construction of educational facilities alone, the minister said.