DUSHANBE, September 23, 2014 Asia-Plus  -- Beginning from this academic year, the military departments of Tajik universities offering training program for reserve officers will train reserve officers under the quota allotted by the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

“Such a decision was made during the summer military camp when up to 20 percent of 7,000 students, who took reserve officer training course, showed poor knowledge of military science,” Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for a MoD, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

In this connection, the Ministry of Defense will allot quotas to the military departments at five universities and they will train from 200 to 1,200 students, Mahmadaliyev noted.

According to him, the Ministry of Defense will strictly control the officer training courses at universities.

All students that can pass a physical exam will be able to go through army training at their universities and receive a military rank without leaving their universities.  They will study in the military departments of universities.  After graduation, depending on the program, the student can be commissioned as a lieutenant.  Students will have a so-called ‘military day.’  In the morning, they will put on their military uniforms, and go to a military department.  After training for eight hours, with a break for lunch, they will go back home.  A week later they will be on the road again.  In this way the students will learn all types of small arms, and wheeled and tracked equipment.