Creating an inclusive environment for school readiness in Tajikistan
How UNICEF and USAID help children with disabilities better prepare for school through inclusive pre-school education activities.
Seven-year old Umarjon Safarov from the village of Somoniyon in Gharm is a pre-school student at a local school. Umarjon is regularly forced to miss class as he travels to Dushanbe for medical treatments. He is always extremely happy to return to class. His father Shuhrat says that they are now also considering starting rehabilitation to support Umarjon's needs due to his visual impairment. This September, Umarjon will join thousands of other children in Tajikistan and start his first year of school.
UNICEF/Tajikistan/2024/ U. Fazylova
UNICEF/Tajikistan/2024/ U. Fazylova
In class, Umarjon is reading, writing, drawing, and learning basic math with his peers. As the youngest child in his family, Umarjon receives the care and support of his parents and his two brothers as he continues to learn.
"Umarjon used to have problems with concentration and memory, but since he has been in pre-school he has improved his focus and now learns short poems at the first attempt."
Umarjon's parents are supportive and understand that the process of learning is very important and that Umarjon has his own unique learning style. Shuhrat, Umarjon's father, says that sometimes when Umarjon is doing his homework, he suddenly gets up and goes to play, but later he returns to his homework. Another person who understands Umarjon's particular needs is his tutor, Alambi Jamolova.
Alambi Jamolova, from Gharm, is an experienced education specialist who worked as a teacher from 1994 to 2018. When she retired, members of the community convinced her to come back and teach pre-school classes. Since the number of experienced teachers like her in Gharm is very limited, and since teaching children is her passion, Alambi agreed.
“Throughout my career I had 2 generations of children graduate from school. I’m still in contact with many of them.”- says Alambi.
Currently Alambi is tutoring 30 three to six-year old children. Alambi’s classes combine in-class and outside activities such as games and light exercises. These activities help Alambi to provide the unique physical and mental stimulation Umarjon requires to support his particular learning needs.
UNICEF/Tajikistan/2024/ U. Fazylova
UNICEF/Tajikistan/2024/ U. Fazylova
Alambi makes sure she spends more time with Umarjon and includes him in as many activities with other children as possible.
"I would like to get more training and educational resources for my children, especially those with disabilities.”- says Alambi.
Pre-school children with disabilities are more likely to drop out of school than children without disabilities. Therefore, it’s critical to provide inclusive pre-school readiness activities. Inclusive pre-school education also supports teachers and parents and caregivers to ensure their children are ready for school. Access to school, appropriate classroom support, accessible facilities and trained teachers are key to meeting the diverse needs of all children in the classroom and supporting all children with their learning journey.
In Tajikistan, USAID and UNICEF are supporting the Ministry of Education and Science to increase access to inclusive pre-school learning opportunities for Tajik children three to seven years old. This joint activity helps the Ministry improve school readiness and pre-school learning outcomes by providing, inclusive, student-centered, and Tajik language-appropriate, early childhood education to children before they enter primary school. It will cover more than 200 early childhood education centres across the country, support the capacity building of tutors like Alambi, and be inclusive of all children, including girls and children with disabilities.