KHUJAND, January 27, 2014, Asia-Plus — Five legally-run madrasahs in the northern Sughd province still remain closed, Abdulhakim Sharipov, the head of the Sughd department on religious affairs, announced at a news conference in Khujand on January 27.
According to him, a special commission is currently engaged in drawing up the educational plan for the madrasahs and determining education standards for them.
“We plan to introduce vocational training courses in the madrasahs,” Sharipov said, noting that the Ministry of Education (MoE) will permit to resume the operation of the madrasahs in Sughd only after determination of the education standards for them.
“To-date, we have worked out five or six options for education standards for madrasahs; thus, one of them will be renamed vocational and religious lyceum,” he added
There are six legally-run madrasahs in Tajikistan and five of them are located in the northern province of Sughd: Istaravshan; Khujand; Konibodom; Panajkent, and Bobojonghafourov. In all, 300 students have studied at these madrasahs.
Tajik authorities suspended the operation of madrasahs in Sughd province in June last year. The decision was reportedly made by the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan. The Islamic religious schools were temporarily closed because they need to obtain Education Ministry permission for their activities.
