When the break-up of the Soviet Union resulted in a significant decline in government funding for schools, Tajikistan’s education system confronted an exodus of teaching talent. An important part of the country’s development going forward is the establishment of an education system that can help its future leaders develop critical thinking skills to understand the intricacies of the global economy and communicate effectively with the rest of the world. Education will also play an important role in fostering an appreciation for cultural diversity amongst the Tajik people.
Established in 1998, the Aga Khan Lycée (AKL) is the first privately operated school in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). It is part of the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) in Tajikistan. Each year, the Lycée educates over 1000 students from grades 0 to 11 with a graduation rate above 95 percent.
It aims to provide students with a high quality education and prepare them for further studies at higher education institutions of quality international universities. It also tests and develops new teaching and learning approaches that can serve as models of best practice for other educational institutions in Tajikistan and throughout the region.
The curriculum at the Lycée is offered in three language streams – English, Tajik and Russian in order to encourage students to develop fluency in more than one language. Special attention is placed on learning the Tajik language and cultivating a knowledge and appreciation of the country’s rich history, literature and heritage.
The curriculum focuses on balanced teacher-student centred approaches that foster critical thinking skills while also developing collaboration, creativity and problem-solving abilities. The Aga Khan Lycée supplements the Tajik National State Curriculum with international content and practical skills, including Information Communications Technology (ICT) subjects, to ensure that graduates are competitive at a global level.
Through partnerships with the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED), several of the Lycée’s academic staff received additional professional development workshops in the areas of science, mathematics, economics, English language and technology. With support from AKES, 11 Aga Khan Lycée educators have obtained Master’s Degrees in Education from the AKU-IED in Pakistan, while another 20 have participated in AKU-IED’s Certificate in Education programme.
Each year Aga Khan Lycée provides admissions for study into Grades 10 and 11 for the top two students in Grade 10 from each of the seven districts of GBAO. A written assessment is carried out with all eligible candidates: selected students are eligible for financial support to cover tuition fees and living allowances. The Lycée has awarded more than 180 scholarships since 2001 to enable students to attend the school.
Moreover, the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), also offers scholarships for both undergraduate and post-graduate study in Tajikistan and abroad. Since 1993, more than 313 students have received the Tajik Scholarship Programme to study in Tajikistan and in other CIS countries, with 56 of them having continued their studies at the graduate level.
Through the District Scholarship Program for undergraduate studies, which began in 2001, over 100 students have been able to study at Khorog State University.
The Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) administers several outreach programmes, such as the Learning Support Programme, the Youth Leadership Forum and the AKES Summer Camp.
The Learning Support Programme, initially developed by the University of Central Asia’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), includes supplemental afterschool English language and mathematics education for grade 7 – 11 students in government schools. Each course is approximately 6-months long and features internal or external assessments. Currently, the programme supports 350+ students and includes resources and training for more than 25 teachers.
The AKES Summer Camp was first launched in 2006 in Khorog. Its primary goal is to develop participants’ teamwork and leadership skills while engendering a sense of belonging and responsibility to the wider community. Understanding the importance of civil society and pluralism remain key secondary goals. To date, over 1000 students have participated in the camp.
The Youth Leadership Forum engages over 500 grade 8 – 11 students annually from a variety of schools in Khorog and provides them with an environment to meet and discuss contemporary local issues and challenges while jointly seeking solutions. The aim of the programme is to strengthen relationships, build a greater sense of community among youth, enhance leadership skills, and cultivate an interest in civic engagement and civil society.
Since 2006, in partnership with local government, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has been supporting the implementation of the Education Improvement Programme (formerly named School Improvement Programme or SIP) in the schools of Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast (GBAO) and Khatlon. Its leading implementing partner has been the Branch of Republican Institute for Professional Development of Educators in GBAO.
For example, students are encouraged to make links between classroom activities and everyday life in order to boost not only their learning achievements and cognitive skills but also their social and emotional competencies. At the end of 2016, out of the 314 schools under the programme in GBAO, 41 were selected to provide more in-depth support to further enhance students’ learning outcomes and act as professional development and resource hubs for other schools.
Highlights of the programme’s impact :
- To date, more than 11’000 primary and secondary school teachers have received training and mentorship on interactive approaches to teaching and learning. Nearly 43’800 primary and secondary students have benefitted from these interventions.
- Over 900 primary and secondary teachers have been trained and mentored as key trainers to support and mentor teachers in nearby schools.
- In nearly 60% of the programme schools work with parent associations has enhanced family engagement and improved the quality of the school experience for students and their parents.
- About one-third of the programme schools have established student councils as platforms for children-led extracurricular activities that foster leadership, teamwork, communications and other life competencies.
- Studies undertaken in 2012 and 2016 found that children enrolled in the Education Improvement Programme schools outperformed their peers in learning (math and reading) outcomes. Moreover, the 2016 study showed the social and emotional development of children to be significantly higher in programme schools than in non-programme schools, especially in cases where the children had benefited from pre-school / Early Childhood Development experiences.
In response to these successes, the Ministry of Education has endorsed the programme’s methodological guides and manuals for national distribution.
The University of Central Asia (UCA) was established to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain societies, by offering an internationally recognised standard of higher education, and helping the peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions as assets for the future.
UCA's first campus opened in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic in 2016, second campus in Khorog, Tajikistan opened in 2017 and will be followed by Tekeli, Kazakhstan (2021). Undergraduate students interested in majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences or Economics will enroll in the campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic.
Founded in 2000, the Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan, signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular, private, not for profit University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations.
Continuing education
Operational since 2006, UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) is Central Asia’s first provider of formal, university-based, non-degree educational programmes and offers vocational, professional development and personal improvement opportunities to youth and adults, all with the goal of fostering economic development. Located in the centre of Khorog, the administrative capital of Tajikistan’s GBAO region, SPCE offers internationally benchmarked programmes such as English for Business, Accounting, Information Technology, Mountain Tour Operator, and an apprenticeship-based programme in the construction trades. In 2008, the School opened a Learning Centre in Dushanbe and a second satellite learning centre in Dushanbe in 2015.
SPCE is a leading provider of post-secondary, short-cycle education in Central Asia, giving young people and adults professional and vocational qualifications that improve employment and income generating opportunities.
The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) promotes pluralism in ideas, cultures, and people by supporting the development and implementation of innovative humanities curricula based on the cultural traditions of Central Asia. AKHP initiates and supports curriculum and pedagogical development in universities, community outreach projects and institutional development through long-term partnerships. It has worked with universities in Kazakhstan as well as the kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
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