Speech of the Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, on the Occasion of Knowledge Day and the Peace Lesson at General Secondary Educational Institution No. 105 in the City of Dushanbe
August 31, 2026, Dushanbe
Dear compatriots!
Respected education workers!
Dear pupils, students, and teachers!
These days, we stand on the threshold of celebrating a great national anniversary—the 35th anniversary of the State Independence of our beloved Tajikistan.
Therefore, on the occasion of this historic celebration, as well as the beginning of the new academic year and Knowledge Day, I sincerely congratulate all of you.
I also greet the children who are stepping into school for the first time today with joy and happiness, and I wish them health and success.
I would like to emphasize that it is precisely thanks to independence and complete peace and stability in our country that we are carrying out immense work to create the best educational conditions and to raise the quality and level of education and upbringing for children, adolescents, and youth.
The inauguration of the new, modern building of General Secondary Educational Institution No. 105, where we are gathered today, is a fruit of state independence and the peaceful atmosphere of our country.
This institution was constructed by the Executive Body of State Authority of Dushanbe City with a modern architectural design and is equipped with the finest educational facilities to accommodate 2,400 students.
It should be noted that over the past nine years, 55 new educational institutions with over 95,000 student seats and 42 modern kindergartens for 8,000 children have been built and put into operation in the city of Dushanbe.
This year alone, in honor of the 35th anniversary of state independence, 7 new educational institutions with 10,000 seats and 8 new modern preschool institutions for 1,000 children will begin functioning in the nation’s capital.
In total, during the period of independence, 4,135 educational institution buildings with 1,800,000 seats have been constructed and commissioned nationwide at a total cost of 8.4 billion somoni.
A very gratifying phenomenon of the era of our country’s independence is that the honorable people of Tajikistan, including patriotic entrepreneurs, have established effective cooperation with the Government of the country in the noble task of building new educational facilities equipped with modern technology. We express our gratitude to them for their patriotic generosity.
Distinguished audience!
All our achievements in the development and progress of our beloved Motherland, including in the sphere of education—which shapes the future of the nation and the state—are the direct fruit of state independence, complete political stability, and enduring national unity.
From this perspective, for us, the people of Tajikistan, peace and unity are considered the most vital factor for the longevity of the state and the nation.
Therefore, appreciating peace and stability, strengthening national unity, and educating the youth in the spirit of patriotism and humanism are sacred duties of every conscious and sound-minded citizen of the country.
The adoption of the United Nations Resolution on the “Decade of Strengthening Peace for Future Generations” in June of this year, initiated by Tajikistan, is also a testament to our country’s consistent efforts to preserve peace and tranquility on the planet.
With satisfaction and pride, I would like to state that the hard work of teachers and education workers in strengthening state independence, promoting the ideas of national statehood, guiding the people toward consolidating peace and unity, and providing a worthy education and upbringing to the generation of the independence era is highly notable and deserving of praise and appreciation.
During a highly complex and controversial period in the history of the Tajik state, the educational community has once again proven that wisdom, science, knowledge, patience, tolerance, and the pursuit of peace and stability play a key role in overcoming any crisis and illuminating the path to a prosperous future.
I have said many times and emphasize again that independence, freedom, peace, and tranquility are the most sacred blessings and the greatest achievements of our people, a source of pride and patriotic dignity, a symbol of the nation’s existence, and the fundamental condition for the happiness and pride of all residents of Tajikistan.
State independence preserved the existence of the Tajik people in the global arena, restored historical justice, and presented Tajiks to the world as a cultural, civilization-founding, tolerant, and peace-loving nation.
Dear attendees!
Since ancient times, our nation has regarded science, enlightenment, and books as the light of life, the foundation of statehood, and the source of societal progress.
Over centuries, the outstanding minds of the Tajik nation have made valuable contributions to the development of human civilization through the power of wisdom and knowledge.
Possessing science and knowledge has acquired immense significance, especially in our time, which represents an era of unprecedented development of technology and the expansion of artificial intelligence.
Under such conditions, not only natural resources, but knowledgeable individuals, educated youth, and highly qualified specialists are considered the primary wealth of states.
Therefore, it is crucial that our younger generation pays constant attention to learning science and gaining knowledge, studies continuously, and, on this basis, engages in creativity and innovation.
For this purpose, all necessary conditions and opportunities have been provided in our country today.
The Government of Tajikistan has identified science and education as one of the priority directions of state policy.
For we fully understand that investing in the education and upbringing of children and adolescents is an investment in the future of the nation and the state.
In this regard, during the period of independence, more than 70 billion somoni from the state budget and 10 billion somoni from state investment projects have been allocated to the education sector. These figures serve as clear evidence of continuous and special attention to education.
Respected audience!
It is well known that the first stage of involving children in education and upbringing is connected with preschool institutions.
In other words, the education and upbringing of children in preschool institutions is the most crucial stage for their future.
In connection with this, several years ago I instructed the relevant structures and bodies to take measures to construct a kindergarten in every neighborhood with a population of over one hundred people.
This is a very important issue, and we must accomplish even more work in this direction.
By decision of the country’s Government, the “Program for the Development of Preschool and Private General Secondary Education Institutions for 2022–2027” was approved, which represents a firm step toward increasing coverage opportunities for children.
Therefore, I once again remind the leaders of regions, cities, districts, the Ministry of Education and Science, and other relevant bodies to pay greater attention to the issue of building preschool institutions.
Available capabilities must be directed toward fully fulfilling the requirements of the National Strategy for Education Development up to 2030, the aforementioned program, and raising preschool coverage for children to 50 percent.
In addition, necessary measures must be taken to provide preschool institutions with highly qualified staff who meet modern requirements.
It should be remembered that the higher the quality and system of upbringing in kindergartens, the more fruitful the continuation of our children’s education in general secondary education institutions will be.
In my meetings with educators and in my other speeches, I have repeatedly emphasized that the quality of education and upbringing in general secondary and higher professional education institutions requires further enhancement.
It should be noted that significant work has been accomplished in the general secondary education sector in recent years.
In particular, the implementation of unified standards for determining education quality, staffing newly built educational institutions with teaching personnel, strengthening the use of digital technologies, and step-by-step elevation of students’ knowledge levels are progressing steadily.
We must keep pace with the times, organize the study and application of modern technologies at a high level, and always remember that only on the foundation of an active, comprehensive, and advanced education system can we secure a worthy place in the modern world.
To continuously improve the quality of education, paying attention to fundamental issues—including enhancing teachers’ professional skills, introducing advanced and effective methods of upbringing, developing and publishing instructional guidelines and new-generation textbooks, and equipping classrooms and laboratories with modern technology—is essential.
Conducting professional development and retraining courses for teachers on a systematic basis is also among the necessary tasks.
On September 1, 2024, during a visit to educational facilities in Dushanbe and participation in Knowledge Day, I emphasized that relevant measures should be taken to fully supply general education institutions within two years with textbooks, supplementary educational literature, scientific materials, methodological manuals, teacher guides, and teaching methodologies for every academic subject.
Analysis shows that a series of measures have been implemented in line with this instruction.
Specifically, from the beginning of 2025 to date, 9,215,000 copies of textbooks and educational materials have been delivered to education departments of cities and districts, as well as other educational institutions, and this process is continuing steadily.
To provide educational institutions with textbooks and other educational materials for the 2026–2027 academic year, 40 textbook titles have passed competitive selection, and their publication is being carried out in stages for distribution to students.
Thus, there is currently no major issue regarding textbook shortages in educational institutions.
Now, it is necessary to focus more on the quality of textbooks and adapting them to international standards.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Science is instructed to take constant measures to further refine the quality and content of new-generation textbooks.
Now, I would like to emphasize another important matter.
The introduction of any international system, approach, or practice into the educational process must first be thoroughly tested as a pilot project in educational institutions, adapted to the conditions, strategic goals of Tajikistan’s educational development, and national values, and only then put into general practice.
In this connection, we must primarily pay serious attention to developing scientific research in pedagogical and psychological sciences and involving scientists and teachers who possess advanced experience in this field.
To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific research activities of the Academy of Education, the Institute for Education Development, and higher educational institutions specializing in pedagogy regarding the development of innovative methods and technologies for teaching subjects—primarily natural sciences and mathematics—utilizing world best practices.
In this process, the Republican Institute for In-Service Training and Retraining of Education Employees must pay greater attention to conducting professional development courses for natural science and mathematics teachers and organizing practical and laboratory sessions.
To date, we have accomplished considerable work in digitization and the development of information technology.
Now, a need has arisen to explain proper and consistent digital literacy to various segments of the population—especially youth and adolescents—regarding the use of the internet, mobile phones, artificial intelligence, and social networks.
Because the benefit or harm of new technologies depends entirely on how we use them.
Observations show that in recent years, the uncontrolled use of smartphones and social networks among general secondary school students has become concerning.
Independent experts and analysts from authoritative international organizations have also repeatedly emphasized in their reports that smartphones and social networks distract students and impede their studies.
A number of developed nations have already restricted or banned phone usage for students under 16 years of age in various forms.
It must be noted that all information has an age-appropriate nature.
However, on social networks, this standard is generally not observed, which is why a large portion of children and adolescents are already under the negative influence of such information.
The unmeasured and unsupervised use of smartphones and social networks causes serious harm to their mental health, sleep, speech, memory, learning capacity, physical activity, and development.
Instead of reading books, developing skills, or engaging in sports, students spend long hours in the virtual space of social networks.
We must not forget that children and adolescents are the future of the nation, and we cannot remain indifferent to the issue of their health—which is the future of the nation.
Taking this into consideration, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies, and the Committee for Primary and Secondary Vocational Education are instructed to thoroughly analyze and review this issue within three months and submit proposals regarding solutions to the Government of the country.
Under conditions of rapid digitization, continuous advancement of communication technologies, and the growth of social media platforms and electronic news media, young people must possess a high level of information literacy.
They must use social networks consciously, be capable of resisting malicious information, false news, and extremist ideas in particular, utilize the internet for acquiring knowledge, spend their time reading books, and contribute to ensuring the informational and ideological security of society.
Considering these realities, ways to strengthen the information immunity of adolescents and youth against modern threats and risks, as well as raising their digital literacy, must be identified.
Dear attendees!
To support graduates of general secondary education institutions and train highly qualified national personnel, we have established several benefits.
One of these, which has been in place for nearly thirty years (since 1997), is student admission to higher professional education institutions under the Presidential Quota.
The main objective of the Presidential Quota is to support and attract young men and women from remote rural areas of cities and districts, and to provide those regions with highly qualified specialists.
During this period, 29,000 secondary school graduates from 61 cities and districts have been enrolled in 20 higher professional educational institutions under the Presidential Quota, and today they are successfully working across various fields.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the development of primary and secondary vocational education has become one of the important directions of the state’s socio-economic policy.
For the progress of industry, energy, construction, modern agriculture, transport, tourism, services, digital technologies, and other sectors of the national economy is impossible without skilled and trained personnel.
Considering this necessity and aiming to establish a modern vocational training system, the Committee for Primary and Secondary Vocational Education under the Government of Tajikistan was established.
The creation of this structure allowed primary and secondary vocational education to develop as an independent state system with unified policies, modern standards, coordination mechanisms, direct links to the labor market, and cooperation with industrial enterprises.
During this period, the number of professions and specialties at the primary and secondary vocational education levels was expanded from 230 to 730 titles.
Specifically, worker personnel and specialists are currently trained in 14 fields across 330 professions at the primary vocational level, and in 10 fields across 400 specialties at the secondary vocational level.
These indicators demonstrate that the primary and secondary vocational education system is gradually adapting to labor market demands and preparing essential workforce personnel for real sectors of the national economy.
Currently, 66 primary vocational education institutions operate in the country, educating over 28,000 students, including nearly 8,000 young women.
The number of students in secondary vocational education institutions has reached 106,500, which is an increase of 13,000 compared to the 2020–2021 academic year and 9,000 compared to the previous academic year.
The adoption of the “Program for the Development of Primary and Secondary Vocational Education in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2026–2029” marks the beginning of a new stage of reforms in the sector.
According to the implementation plan of this program, the repair and restoration of buildings for 61 educational institutions—including 43 primary vocational and 18 secondary vocational institutions—is scheduled for 2026–2029.
At the same time, it must be acknowledged that issues requiring resolution still remain in the sector.
In particular, improving the quality of practical training, fully equipping workshops and laboratories, providing institutions with specialized textbooks, attracting experienced teachers and master instructors, strengthening links with industrial enterprises, and providing graduates with employment represent key tasks for the upcoming stage.
In this regard, the Committee for Primary and Secondary Vocational Education is instructed to take additional measures to resolve these outstanding issues.
Simultaneously, I emphasize to parents, teachers, heads of educational institutions, state executive authorities, and employers that guiding youth toward learning trades and professions must become a daily duty and a nationwide task.
Every individual should understand that possessing a trade or profession means holding invaluable wealth.
A skilled person finds their path in life, becomes independent, supports their family, benefits society, and contributes to the progress of the state.
Therefore, I call upon our dear youth to make good use of their time, master modern science, knowledge, trades, and skills, learn foreign languages, master the use of modern technology and artificial intelligence at a high level, and prepare themselves for a worthy life and a prosperous future for Tajikistan.
A nation whose youth acquire knowledge, master professions, respect national values, and connect their destiny with the fate of the Motherland will take confident steps along the path of progress, construction, and state stability.
A state becomes powerful when its youth are knowledgeable, skilled, well-mannered, ethical, and possess a high sense of patriotism.
Distinguished audience!
Higher educational institutions of the country play a worthy role in advancing the education sector and enhancing the level and quality of education and upbringing.
During the years of independence, the number of institutes and universities in the country has increased significantly, reaching 51 today, with several of our higher education institutions obtaining international status.
The material and technical foundation and conditions of higher education institutions are continuously improving.
At the same time, in the country’s institutes and universities, certain shortcomings remain regarding education quality, provision of experienced faculty members with academic degrees, preparation of textbooks, operation of technology parks, faculty development, and the establishment of modern laboratories, all of which must be addressed.
In this process, I would like to draw your attention to an important matter.
According to data, in most faculties of higher professional educational institutions, students spend their first two years primarily studying non-specialized subjects, while core specialized subjects are taught mainly starting from the third year, which leads to a decline in student interest in their chosen profession.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Science and higher professional education institutions are instructed to thoroughly review this issue within the next three months and submit their proposals to the Government of the country.
In connection with this, I emphasize once again that above all, we need qualified specialists, not merely individuals who hold a diploma.
Another issue that has become very critical in present conditions is the future career choice of young people.
A person must not make a mistake in choosing a profession; otherwise, they will remain confused throughout life and unable to realize their dreams.
Analysis and observations show that superficiality, imitation of others, and illogical career choices exist in our society.
Most young people want to become either doctors or lawyers.
In many cases, career choices are made not on the basis of ability and talent, but out of temporary impulse.
In advanced countries, special attention is paid to identifying the abilities, talents, and aptitudes of adolescents starting from preschool and primary levels, in order to invest in their development at subsequent educational stages and guide youth progress in the right direction.
We know well that all parents dream of their children making the right choices and becoming happy in the future.
However, they sometimes do not know how to accomplish this, especially if modern realities are not taken into account.
For instance, today specialists in cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence, programming, and similar fields are in high demand in the labor market.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Committee for Primary and Secondary Vocational Education, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Education are instructed to submit proposals to the Government within 3 months regarding the cultivation of a career choice culture and mechanisms for determining the professional abilities and talents of children and adolescents.
Along with this, we must also pay special attention to the moral upbringing of adolescents and youth.
For proper conduct and speech reflect a person’s level of upbringing and moral character.
Every individual in society earns respect and esteem primarily through good qualities, high moral standards, and proper etiquette.
Therefore, moral education must begin in the family and continue systematically in educational institutions.
Offenses and crimes are mostly committed by those who have lacked parental guidance, neglected their studies, possess no trade or skill, and have no clear goals in life.
Parents are obligated to create a healthy environment in the family for the upbringing and development of their children.
Teachers are obligated to cultivate in the student’s heart respect for the Motherland, the law, parents, national values, and high human morals.
I emphasize that teachers naturally bear greater responsibility in the crucial and future-shaping work of education and upbringing, as they represent the driving force of education.
Furthermore, raising the quality of education and nurturing personnel who meet the demands of modern progress depends primarily on teachers and educators—the educational community.
They must always remember that medical treatment for the sick (the health of the people), the construction of infrastructure (the development of the Motherland), ensuring socio-economic progress (the decent life of every family in the country), and overall all spheres of society and state life depend on the performance of specialists raised by the education system.
Distinguished audience!
We live in a highly complex, critical, and dangerous period of the modern world.
In recent years, certain norms and principles of international relations that were recognized for decades as the foundation of stability and peaceful coexistence are gradually losing their significance.
As a result of wars and conflicts, thousands of people perish, millions are displaced from their homes, and the risk of widespread instability threatens international security.
In such a situation, it is paramount for all of us to remain tolerant, act with prudence and composure, and strive to protect our national interests.
Always and in all circumstances, we must make every effort to preserve peace, stability, national unity, the achievements of state independence, and tranquility in our beloved Motherland, continuously striving to expand the process of construction and development in our country.
Our greatest goal is to ensure the prosperity and progress of our Motherland, state, and a decent life for our people today and tomorrow.
In pursuing and realizing this noble goal, all residents of the country must act unitedly.
Each of us must be a guardian and respecter of independence, freedom, peace, unity, language, history, culture, and other material and spiritual values of the ancient Tajik nation.
I am satisfied and proud that the country’s educational community, teachers, pupils, and students stand firmly in the front lines of defending national interests, and their stance is firm and steadfast.
I am confident that our educated, skilled, patriotic, and constructive youth will tomorrow become the driving force of the national economy, the solid foundation of an advanced society, and the guarantee for continuing the constructive path of independent Tajikistan.
Expressing confidence in the prosperous and advanced future of our beloved Tajikistan, I once again sincerely congratulate the educational community, teachers, students, pupils, and all of you—honored audience—on the sacred and grand celebration of the 35th anniversary of state independence, the start of the new academic year, and Knowledge Day.
I wish all of you, distinguished attendees, and the entire people of Tajikistan health, happiness, prosperous homes, and ever-increasing success.
May the independence of our beloved Tajikistan endure forever and remain unblemished!
“Center for Tajik Language and Foreign Language Learning”, founded by Umedjon Avazov Amirshovich, Professional Translator and Simultaneous Interpreter.”