At the president’s instruction, a new Uzbek-language school opens in Tursunzade

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has instructed officials responsible for education to establish Uzbek-language schools for ethnic Uzbeks in the country, taking into account their population size, and to provide them with educational materials in Uzbek.

Emomali Rahmon emphasized that students at educational institutions offering instruction in Uzbek must have the opportunity to receive education in their native language, and that these schools must be provided with all necessary conditions.

During his remarks, part of which was published on social media, Emomali Rahmon stated that an agreement had been reached with Uzbekistan’s leadership to create the same conditions for ethnic Tajiks in Uzbekistan.

These statements came amid a working visit by Emomali Rahmon to the city of Tursunzade, where he took part in the opening ceremony of general secondary school No. 21. The new school is reported to accommodate 2,000 students. It has 41 classrooms, 21 of which are specialized for subjects such as biology, mathematics, music, vocational training, basic military training, and languages.

The president raised this issue against the backdrop of the fact that schools in most districts of the country are generally provided with educational materials in students’ native language. However, ethnic Tajiks in Uzbekistan frequently complain that instruction at their schools is conducted in Uzbek and that materials in their native language are unavailable.

This time, however, Emomali Rahmon emphasized that an agreement had been reached with Uzbekistan’s authorities allowing Tajiks in Uzbekistan and Uzbeks in Tajikistan to be educated in schools in their native language.