DUSHANBE, April 29, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- It is time to join international standards and introduce a 12-year secondary education in Tajikistan, Ms. Muhabbat Mavlonova, principal of Dushanbe’s school # 74, said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on endorsement of amendments to the country’s education law requiring introduction of the 12-year secondary education.

Under these amendments, the 12-year secondary education will be introduced in Tajikistan in 2016.

“However, the 12-year secondary education has both advantages and shortcomings,” said Ms. Mavlonova, “It is good that the compulsory secondary education will take ten years now.  But the 12-year secondary education will aggravate the problems of school seats in the country.”

On the problem of providing schools with enough number of teachers, she noted that the teacher shortage situation in the country has been gradually improving and society’s attitude towards education has changed for better.

The Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) yesterday endorsed the bill requiring amendments to the country’s education legislation.  Under these amendments, Tajikistan will introduce the 12-year secondary education in 2016.

According to the data of the Ministry of Education (MoE), 3,810 high schools with totaling 1.789 million students now function in Tajikistan.