In the center of Murgab district in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), children under five years old did not have many learning options. The local kindergarten did not offer age-appropriate lessons or interesting activities, and the early childhood development (ECD) center was run down and in urgent need of repairs.
Tajikistan has the lowest access to early childhood education in the region. Across Tajikistan, there are less than 2,000 ECD centers, serving only 16 percent of the country’s children. This leaves most children without the educational foundation needed to succeed in school.
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is working to meet the critical need for more ECD centers to educate pre-school age children in Tajikistan.
In coordination with the Branch Republican Institute for Professional Development in Education (IPD), AKF piloted and scaled an ECD model in several regions of Tajikistan.
AKF USA says the model is low-resource and needs-based, reflecting the socio-economic context of each community, and transforms empty rooms into holistic learning environments for pre-school children. Teachers, parents and other volunteers are reportedly selected to deliver developmentally appropriate learning activities and operate the centers. IPD provides trainings on ECD policies, relevant national laws and regulations, and financial sustainability, as well as mentoring support.
In Murgab district, AKF is working with the ECD center at School #14. The center’s poor condition was affecting the community’s ability to provide quality learning opportunities for children.
Under the Thrive Tajikistan: Partnership for Socio-Economic Development program, AKF formed an ECD support group, which serves as a bridge between the center and the community. Funded by AKF and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Thrive Tajikistan helps to improve the quality of life for people in GBAO and Khatlon province. The ECD support group created by Thrive Tajikistan engages caregivers and parents to provide a safe and clean learning environment for children and mobilizes community funds to support its operation. With Thrive Tajikistan’s support, the ECD centers also now have teaching resources to offer age-appropriate learning opportunities, and many centers often provide access to nutritious food and snacks.
Once the support group was formed, it quickly worked with the community to develop an action plan for mobilizing financial and material resources. The support group connected with Qalam, a local non-governmental organization that offers trainings to the local community on grant writing, business plan development and monitoring. Through these community connections, the center collected toys, stationery, carpets and furniture, and made necessary repairs, including fixing walls, laying flooring and painting the center.
The center now serves 70 children. Although most spots are paid for by parents, the center also teaches children from vulnerable families who are unable to pay.
In the future, the center hopes to expand to meet the community’s demand for its services. The ECD support group formed by AKF continues to help the center meet emerging needs.
According to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), AKF has established more than 270 new ECD centers in Tajikistan since 2009, and is supporting 320 ECD centers across the country. As a result, some 18,000 Tajik children aged 3-6 years have gained access to ECD services, while over 600 pre-primary educators and 550 ECD-related health workers have received support and training from AKF. Most of these centers are in GBAO, which in 2020 reported significantly increased access to ECD services: up from 9 percent to 65 percent.
