| National education budget (2005) | |
|---|---|
| Budget | US$80 million |
| General details | |
| Primary languages | Tajik, Russian |
| System type | National |
| Post secondary | 96,600 |
Education in Tajikistan consists of four years of primary school followed by two stages of secondary school (lasting five and two years, respectively). Attendance at school is mandatory from age seven to seventeen. In accordance with the Law on Higher Education and Professional Postgraduate Education the country provides for the following levels of higher education:
Some higher education institutions still apply an old system by providing specialists degree (darajai mutakhassis) where upon graduation a specialist diploma is awarded, which is equivalently recognized as a master's degree by Higher Education and Professional Postgraduate Education of Tajikistan. On the other hand, some higher education institutions award bachelor's degrees after four years of studying. Thus, those who do not have a bachelor's degree in a specialty cannot start a master's degree. Tajik is the main language of instruction through secondary school, but in 2003 Russian was restored as a mandatory second language.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)[1] finds that Tajikistan is fulfilling 98.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income.[2] HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Tajikistan's income level, the nation is achieving 97.9% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and 100.o0% for secondary education.[3]