Residents concerned about the emergency condition of the school in Yovon

Residents of one of the villages in the Yovon district are concerned that the condition of the school poses a threat to their children.

On July 26, 2023, residents of the village of Obimuki in the Obshoron rural community of the Yovon district sent Azda TV several photographs and videos, reporting that part of the district school is in an emergency state, but the authorities are not taking any measures.

According to the residents, they expected that the district chairman, who visited the village on July 26 to familiarize himself with the progress of repairs, reconstruction, and asphalting of the main road, would also visit the school, assess its condition, and take necessary measures. However, he did not go there specifically. Instead, he went to the school of a neighboring village with journalists to prepare a report for the First Channel of the state TV channel Tajikistan.

The villagers, mostly ethnic Uzbeks, also reported that another problem is that this school was previously the only Uzbek-language school in this community. However, the authorities, under the pretext of “lack of textbooks,” made it problematic to provide students with school textbooks, and in the 2016-2017 academic year, the language of instruction at the school was changed to the state language – Tajik.

Thus, while one problem is that part of the school building, which was built in the 1950s, is in an emergency state, another problem is that most students cannot grasp the lessons. Neither the teachers, who are also ethnic Uzbeks, know Tajik, nor the students, also ethnic Uzbeks, understand Tajik very well, and their daily communication language is Uzbek.

The Obshoron rural community is the largest community in the Yovon district of the Khatlon region. The population of the community is 32,000, consisting of 11 villages. The village of Obimuki, with a population of 5,500, is located 15 kilometers from the district center. The residents mainly engage in agriculture and livestock breeding.