Abstract
This article discusses the initiatives for out-of-school children in Tajikistan. The Tajik government has published two blueprint documents, namely, the National Strategy for Education Development 2006–2015 and the National Strategy for Education Development until 2020, which outlines a national vision for universal access to quality education of all children and young people in the country. Accordingly, this article investigates the extent to which this national vision has been implemented by examining the issues of poverty and gender bias, which are considered major factors affecting the implementation of the national strategy. The data set of the UNICEF Study on Out-of-School Children, Tajikistan Country Study 2012, is used to achieve the objectives of this study. Results of the analysis suggest that disjunctions exist in educational governance, particularly between the international norms and the governance capacity of the state with regard to the implementation of educational reforms, and between the responsibility of the government and that of the local community with regard to addressing socio-cultural barriers. This article concludes with some insights into the sustained connection between the national initiatives on out-of-school children and the local responses and adaptations.
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Notes
Ilyin et al. (2012) define statehood as the statutory properties of a state consequential to its recognition by other states and by its own citizenry.
According to Paper 14 of the Constitution, “Each person has the right to education. General basic education (which equates with primary and lower secondary education) is obligatory. The government guarantees free secondary school, trade school, and, in accordance with ability and on a competitive basis, specialized high school and university education. Other forms of education to be provided are determined by law.”
We would like to thank the UNICEF and UIS for generously allowing us to use the data set. The major sources of the data set include the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2005, Tajikistan Living Standards Survey (TLSS) 2007, Tajikistan Living Standard Measurement Survey 2009, and the Statistical Yearbook for Education Sector 2010–2011.
However, the TLSS data show a curvilinear relationship, in which poor children are enrolled in higher numbers than middle-wealth children. The cause for this curvilinear relationship is unknown.
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Lo, W.Y.W., Maclean, R. Governance challenges in the initiatives for out-of-school children in Tajikistan. Educ Res Policy Prac 14, 139–152 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-014-9170-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-014-9170-z