DUSHANBE, May 13, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- A nationwide shift to a 12-year secondary education will allow Tajikistan to join the international education system, Education Minister Abdujabbor Rahmonov told reporters in Dushanbe on May 12.

“The 12-year secondary education system will allow us to join the Bologna Process (or Bologna Accords) and expand opportunities for our students to get higher education in any of European countries,” the minister stressed.

According to him, the country’s budget will gradually earmark additional funds for the nationwide shift to the 12-year secondary education.  “In 2011, 6 million somoni will be allocated for this and 18 million somoni will be allocated in 2012,” said Rahmonov, “The 12-year secondary education will be introduced in the country in 2016 and 356 million somoni (equivalent to 81.5 million U.S. dollars) will be allocated during the period from 2011 to 2016 for introduction of this education system.”

Besides, new textbooks will be published.  Over the report period (2011-2016), 23.2 million copies of textbooks for a total of some 180 million somoni will be published, Rahmonov said.

We will recall that the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) endorsed the bill requiring amendments to the country’s education legislation on April 28.  Under these amendments, Tajikistan will introduce the 12-year secondary education in 2016 and the compulsory secondary education will take ten years.