KHUJAND, July 21, 2016, Asia-Plus – All five madrasahs (schools offering religious education) have been shut down in the northern Sughd province.
All five madrasahs that had previously been suspended from functioning have been closed, Suhrob Rustamzoda, the head of the Sughd department on religious affairs, announced at a news conference in Khujand, the capital of Sughd province, on July 20.
We will recall that Tajik authorities suspended teaching at five madrasahs in the northern part of the country in June 2013.
The madrasahs were temporarily suspended because they had to receive licenses from the Ministry of Education.
“The Ministry of Education has not granted licenses for resumption of functioning of the madrasahs because their rules do not meet requirements set for studying in a madrasah,” Rustamzoda said.
We will recall that for the first time, Tajik authorities suspended teaching at four madrasahs in Sughd in August 2011. The management at the madrasahs reportedly failed to reregister their schools as required by a new law on religion.
There were six madrasahs in Tajikistan and five of them were functioning in Sughd province. In Sughd, the madrasahs were functioning in Istaravshan, Khujand, Konibodom, Panjakent and Bobojonghafourov. A total of 300 students studied at these madrasahs.
