On November 25, after Asia-Plus highlighted the tragic death of a 9-year-old girl and the issue of the lack of a school in Buston village, Panjakent Mayor Abduqholiq Kholiqzoda visited the village and instructed that a plot of land be allocated for the construction of a school.
According to the Panjakent mayor’s office, Kholiqzoda directed officials to allocate land from unused plots that had remained idle for an extended period. He tasked the relevant departments with identifying a site for the school and preparing a building plan.
The head of Buston village, Fathullo Ibrohimov, told Asia-Plus that a 60-acre plot had been selected for the school’s construction.
"Today, the chairman of the Roudaki jamoat (the third-level administrative division, similar to commune or municipality, in Tajikistan), which includes Buston village, submitted the proposal to the Panjakent Education Department. The Department then forwarded the proposal to the city administration. Once the mayor’s resolution on land allocation is issued, the paperwork will be finalized. As soon as the land certificate is ready, construction of the school will begin," he explained.
During his visit to Buston, the mayor also expressed condolences to the family of Tarona Niyozzoda, a second-grade student who recently died in a traffic accident while returning from school in a neighboring village.
If only there were a school in Buston village…
To recap, on October 30, 2024, the 9-year-old Tarona Niyozzoda died in a road accident on her way home from school. Due to the absence of a school in her home village, she had to travel long distances along a highway daily to attend school in the neighboring village.
Buston village was established 27 years ago, yet the lack of a school has remained a persistent issue for many years. Authorities have long been aware of the problem.
Fourteen years ago, resolutions by the Panjakent mayor and the Sughd governor allocated land for a school’s construction.
At that time, a one-hectare plot of irrigated land from the Chimtarga and Urej farms in the Roudaki jamoat was designated for the school. However, due to the classification of this land as irrigated, the project was not approved at the government level.
For more details on this tragedy and the issue of Buston’s lack of a school, see our article: "If Only There Were a School…"
