Tajikistan universities this year experience a large shortage of students.
Speaking at a board meeting of the Ministry of Education and Science, the minister said 41,367 students have been admitted to local universities this year, which is only 62 percent of the admission plan.
“66,668 university seats have been allotted this year but only 41,367 students have been admitted,” Rahim Saidzoda said, reporting on the results of work carried out by the ministry over the first nine months of this year.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Sabzali Jafarzoda, the head of the National testing Center, revealed on August 4 that the number of school leavers wanting to enter local universities has decreased significantly over the past three years.
According to him, with opening of borders after the coronavirus pandemic, have got an opportunity to enter universities in foreign countries.
Meanwhile, some experts consider that interest in higher education has declined after the adoption of the amendments to the country’s law on military service, under which students of universities with a military department are obligated to serve one year in the army.
Before that, only students of universities that do not have a military department had to serve one year in the army.
Professor Abdurahmon Qurbonov, the head of the Directorate for Social Affairs Analysis at the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, says the adoption of this law had a negative impact on the university system.
“With the adoption of this law the prestige of higher education has decreased and the desire of young people to study at universities has decreased,” Professor Qurbonov said.
