The Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan Rahim Saidzoda met with the President of the Landtag of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt of the Federal Republic of Germany Gunnar Schellenbergen at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan. This was reported by the press center of the Ministry of Education of the country.
The meeting was also attended by the First Deputy Minister, Deputy Ministers, heads of the ministry’s relevant departments, and the Director of the Center for International Programs.
According to the department, the parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the expansion of bilateral cooperation in education and science. Rahim Saidzoda emphasized that interaction with the Federal Republic of Germany is of strategic importance for Tajikistan and contributes to the modernization of the national education system.
According to the minister, German is currently taught in six universities in the country, where 1,708 students study, and more than 17,100 students study German in comprehensive schools. At the same time, Saidzoda noted, direct ties between Tajik and German universities need further development.
In this regard, the Ministry of Education and Science proposed: establishing direct cooperation between universities of the two countries; expanding joint scientific research and exchange of innovative programs; organizing advanced training courses for teachers in German; opening a representative office of German scholarship funds in the Center for International Programs; expanding student participation in internships and seasonal programs in Germany; intensifying the activities of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Dushanbe; considering the continuation of the project of the National Social Investment Fund of Tajikistan (NSIFT – phase 4), financed by the German Development Bank.
In turn, Mr. Gunnar Schellenbergen expressed interest in expanding cooperation and proposed specific measures to develop human resources. In particular, the discussion focused on the creation of: a private kindergarten and a gymnasium with instruction in German; a dual education system involving industrial enterprises; a joint university with a multidisciplinary educational base; language centers at universities; cooperation in the field of geological sciences, energy and other priority sectors.
The German side proposed paying special attention to the gradual expansion of opportunities for studying the German language and the provision of scholarship programs for students from Tajikistan.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed their readiness for the practical implementation of the agreements reached and expressed hope for the implementation of new projects in the interests of the two countries.