QURGHON TEPPA, September 18, Asia-Plus – Today morning, a group of students at Qurghon Teppa State University were sent to cotton plantations in the Nosir Khusrav district.
According to students, who wanted to remain unidentified, they were forced to go to cotton plantations. They also noted that sending of students to cotton plantations will be conducted in several stages. “Only, second-, third- and fourth-year students were sent to cotton plantations,” said the Asia-Plus interlocutors, “Officials say we go to the cotton plantations voluntarily but it is not true.” One of fourth-year students said it is already the third year that he is sent to cotton plantations. No minimal conditions of labor and living are provided for the students during the cotton-picking campaign, according to him. “Therefore students will scarcely agree to go to the cotton plantations voluntarily,” the Asia-Plus interlocutor stressed.
Parents of students also say that the cotton harvest negatively affects their children’s studying and health.
Taghoybobo Shukurov, Rector of Qurghon Teppa State University, had no comments on the situation. “You have apply on this subject to the province’s authorities,” he told journalists. After talks with the rector, reporter of the Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service Nosirjon Mahmoudzoda and correspondent of the “Avesta” News Agency for Khatlon Jamoliddin Sayfiddinov were taken to the Khatlon police department. After a conversation with the Khatlon police department chief they were let go. It turned out that they were taken to the police department following the rector’s request, who stated that the journalists allegedly wanted to make stir among students.
According to some sources, students from the Qurghon Teppa Medical College will be sent to cotton plantations tomorrow.
As it had been reported earlier, beginning this academic year, no senior pupils at secondary schools or students at higher educational institutions will be sent to cotton plantations. Tajik education officials say us of children’s labor during the cotton harvest will now be punished by law, right up to dismissal of the heads of educational institutions
Although sending schoolchildren to cotton plantations is prohibited, local authorities in Sughd and Khatlon provinces had sent all higher educational institution and senior secondary students to cotton plantations. Experts say that although Tajik legislation prohibits child labor, children harvest up to 40 percent of the cotton for paltry wages and to the detriment of their education and health. The use of child labor has become an easy solution to the problem of a manpower shortage during the cotton-picking campaign, experts say.
