To realize the importance of this topic, we decided to tell in a series of articles and materials about the situation of vulnerable groups in society during the period of Tajikistan’s independence.
Indifference of society or impotence of the education sector
It is during the period of independence that the Teacher’s Day is celebrated annually in Tajikistan from October 1 to 5. It must be acknowledged — this is a good initiative, as UNESCO, the UN body responsible for culture, declared October 5 as World Teacher’s Day, and more than a hundred countries around the world have joined this decision. Every year on this day, various countries celebrate the role and significance of teachers in society.
Recent studies show that, apparently, the authorities annually try to address the problem of teacher shortages and their low salaries. Thus, the Minister of Education and Science of Tajikistan, Rahim Saidzoda, stated at a press conference in Dushanbe that there is a shortage of more than 2,600 teachers in general secondary education schools. To solve this problem, 2,170 senior students have been recruited. At the same time, parents in many schools often and repeatedly complain about the low quality of education and upbringing, as well as the difficult financial situation of teachers, which directly affects the quality of education in society.
Indeed, teachers are the cornerstone of education and knowledge in any society, and the future generation depends on them. Every year, from the mouths of government representatives, praises for teachers are heard from official platforms. Undoubtedly, teachers are a source of light and knowledge in society, but there are still many questions.
Have we ever thought about how respected these “extinguished luminaries” of society are among us and how much they are under the real protection of the state?
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have been talking annually about the low salaries of teachers, the shortage of staff, the departure of educators from the profession, and their emigration abroad in search of better earnings. However, we see that the authorities have still not found effective solutions to prevent the crisis in the education system.
According to data from the Committee on Statistics of Tajikistan, published by the ITAR-TASS agency and Radio Ozodi, in 2003, the daily earnings of a teacher amounted to 54 cents — for this money, an educator could not even buy a kilogram of grapes. At that time, the Minister of Education Safarali Rajabov officially stated that the state’s debt to teachers had reached hundreds of thousands of dollars. The difficult situation for educators forced hundreds of talented and dedicated teachers to leave the country and seek work in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. According to the ministry, there was a shortage of 8,000 teachers in the republic’s schools at that time. Even after this, the minister repeatedly acknowledged that teaching remains one of the lowest-paid professions in the country.
Other reports indicate that the authorities have annually attempted to raise teachers’ salaries to an acceptable level. For instance, according to data from 2010, a teacher’s monthly salary ranged from 50 to 60 dollars, which was considered one of the lowest in the country. This led to a mass exodus from the profession and labor migration of experienced educators. Some experts refer to the last twenty years as a “period of unprecedented brain drain” in the history of independent Tajikistan, and recent statistics fully confirm this.
According to data provided by the Ministry of Education and Science of Tajikistan to the Eurasianet website, in 2021, there was a shortage of 1,124 educators in the country’s schools, and just a year later, this figure rose to 3,400.
Former Minister Muhammad Yusuf Imamzoda claimed in one of his speeches that the problem is solvable, as more than 16,000 students graduate from pedagogical universities each year and replace the teachers who have left. But if this is true, why is there a shortage of teachers not only in villages but also in all cities of the country?
Another question for Imamzoda, who is an academician of the Academy of Sciences and a former rector of a well-known university: Has he not considered that it takes years of work and practice for a teacher to gain professional experience?
Another feature of Tajik society is that due to the mass departure of male teachers, the teaching profession has almost completely become a female profession. We see that many young men choose the teaching specialty only to avoid military service and two years of hazing.
The authorities claim that they are trying to solve the problems in the education sector, but at no meeting do they consider what spiritual and moral values have been irretrievably lost over all these years.
The previous generation remembers that the teaching profession during the Soviet era was considered one of the most respected in society. Educators of that period had a high social status, and the best conditions were created for them. Every teacher could allocate time for professional development and personal growth. There were institutes for the professional development of educators, where teachers honed their skills and expertise.
Some believe that teachers simply transmit information, not realizing that they shape culture, human values, and the future of the country. According to reports from 2025, the shortage of teachers has increased again, and the main problems faced by educators remain unresolved.
The Minister of Education R. Saidzoda confirmed this at a press conference.
“Collecting money from parents for school repairs is officially prohibited, and any assistance must be voluntary. Only private individuals and donors can provide financial assistance at their discretion, but this is not mandatory,” the minister stated, without specifying which families can afford to provide “financial assistance.”
Residents must understand that any payments to the budget must be legal. We are witnesses and know that not all families are capable of providing financial assistance. Abuses by officials, especially in the Ministry of Education, contradict the law and undermine order, creating a breeding ground for arbitrariness, corruption, and violence in society. As it is said, without the law, society tends toward chaos, where the strong are always right, and people’s lives become “like that of animals.”
False slogans
Do teachers need help? And do words match actions?
For many years, officials have claimed from podiums and in the media that public schools are free, but people know that words do not match reality. These statements were also made by President Emomali Rahmon on Knowledge Day in 2024. However, just a few days later, at school meetings, principals and deputy principals deceived parents again, claiming that “the monthly tuition fee and financial assistance you provide are for the school and your children’s teachers.”
The president has repeatedly called the collection of money from students unacceptable and instructed the Ministry of Education and local administrations to stop this practice. But where is the result of all these “instructions”?
Can a society be happy where officials do not respect either the laws or the instructions of the “Leader of the Nation”? Or were the president’s words on Knowledge Day just an attempt to please the people? Why do officials, who constantly speak of the support and generosity of the “Leader of the Nation,” not display his orders “in golden letters” at the entrance to schools? Perhaps it is not in their interest!!
According to reports, in most schools of the republic, a “voluntary financial assistance” of 20 to 30 somoni is still collected monthly from each student, as well as additional fees for the salary of the cleaner, repairs (80–100 somoni per year), window replacements, heating, equipment purchases, and other needs.
The spread of this foolish practice clearly shows that teachers, both in cities and villages, have effectively been turned into beggars in front of the parents of their students.
Teachers admit this in interviews with some publications.
“We also do not want to humiliate our dignity by asking for money from parents. Many families live in poverty, fathers are in labor migration, but parents are forced to pay to avoid losing their child’s respect in the eyes of classmates.
We are Eastern people; family honor is important to us. Many teachers, who possess a high level of knowledge and pedagogical experience, have been forced to leave this noble profession and seek work elsewhere. Regulatory bodies are busy with administrative matters and bureaucracy, and do not pay attention to the achievements of science.
We constantly complain that children do not wear school uniforms according to the Ministry of Education’s requirements, are not well-groomed, and do not take care of their appearance. Parents whose children perform poorly or do not attend classes say, “We pay everything the school requires — you should also meet us halfway!”
May God guide us!
It seems that not only greedy officials are to blame for the troubles of society, but also society itself, which must acknowledge its misfortunes. For many years, we have been singing praises, singing hymns in honor of teachers, and proudly stating that they educate our children, uphold human values, loyalty, truthfulness, justice, courage, kindness, knowledge, and reason…
But we do not see that Tajik society has become soulless and shameless. A teacher, who should speak the truth to their students, remains silent in the face of the bitter reality of their life. For more than thirty years, they have not raised their voice against injustice and the loss of dignity. They do not want to acknowledge that the teachers of the country have become one of the most needy and destitute segments of society — the “educated poor.” Yet it is the teacher who is the guarantee of the spiritual health of society. We must be fair; if in a society where teachers are the guarantee of health, how could their children be healthy?
Do we have the right, in such a situation for our teachers, to call ourselves Muslims and followers of the prophet who called for education and justice?
Before the advisors of the Presidential Executive Office provided recommendations to improve the situation of teachers, they themselves should understand the value of these “poor” teachers in our society. Only then can the Tajik people hope for an improvement in the status of teachers and the education and upbringing of society. Otherwise, our society is inevitably moving towards the destruction of humanity.
Kombiz Doro
