In his address to Parliament, President Emomali Rahmon called on the education system leadership to rethink teaching methods. He stressed focusing on developing students' intellect, knowledge, language skills, and practical abilities instead of bureaucratic procedures.
The president highlighted a pressing need for over 100,000 additional school seats.
According to Rahmon, Tajikistan has 4,037 schools, 3,670 of which were built over the past three decades, serving 2.3 million students.
The country also has 48 universities with 214,000 students, 65 lyceums with 23,000 students, and 88 colleges with 160,000 students.
Rahmon noted that 117,000 Tajik students, including 13,000 girls, are studying in universities in 42 countries.
The president reiterated the importance of education and child upbringing as the foundation for national prosperity. Neglecting education and early childhood upbringing leads to societal issues, he said.
He also expressed concern over the lack of family upbringing in modern society, affecting children's behavior.
"Sometimes, you can tell they haven't been brought up in a family," Rahmon added.
Addressing educators, he said: "Students need more than just books and notebooks. They need knowledge, intellect, professions, skills, and language training."
"We need specialists. We issue hundreds of thousands of diplomas and have many scholars, but true experts are few. We lack inventors. This requires effort and dedication."
