Shukurjon Zuhurov, the Speaker for the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament), delivered a statement at the 45th plenary session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA CIS) that took place in St. Petersburg, Russia on November 25.

The session, in particular, discussed the problem of the quality of education in the CIS nations, according to Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon.

Speaking at the session, Tajik parliament speaker noted that Tajikistan attached significance to the study of the Russian language as the language of the inter-ethnic communication.

161 Russian-language institutions of general education accommodating 64,194 students now function in Tajikistan, Zuhurov noted.

Besides, Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU) and branches of three Moscow universities now function in Dushanbe.

Tajik parliament speaker noted that the 5th Tajikistan-Russia Inter-Parliamentary Forum that took place in Dushanbe on October 13 had outlined priorities of bilateral cooperation.  The forum participants, in particular, reached an agreement that Russia would send 30 Russian language teachers to Tajikistan to teach local children.  “This issue has almost been solved,” Zuhurov noted.

According to him, more than 15,000 Tajik students are currently studying at higher educational institutions in the Russian Federation.  Besides, more than 800 Tajik students are currently studying in Kazakhstan, 327 Tajik students are studying n Kyrgyzstan and 290 Tajik students are studying in Belarus.   

Established in March 1995, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly is a consultative parliamentary wing of the CIS created to discuss problems of parliamentary cooperation.

Recall, Russia was supposed to send 200 Russian-language teachers to Tajikistan's northern region of Sughd in 2012.  Sughd's regional education department head, Saidmukhtor Jalolov, said on July 31, 2012 that the Russian teachers will arrive in Tajikistan to teach local children, in accordance with a bilateral agreement signed by the two countries' education ministries earlier.