DUSHANBE, December 14, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik government has extended winter holidays in the country’s schools by 12 more days, Noilsho Nouraliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MoE), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, the winter holidays will start on December 29, 2009 and the schools will now reopen on January 24, 2010.  “The ministry’s decision on this subject is aimed at regulating school holidays and ensuring good health of school students,” Nouraliyev said.

The winter holidays are extended due to five-day reduction on spring and summer holidays, he added.  “The spring holidays will last from March 20 to March 25 (earlier, the spring holidays lasted until April 1) and students will complete their school year on June 1; earlier, the school year was completed on May 25.”

3,810 high schools with totaling some 1.7 million pupils now function in Tajikistan.