Family resources, sitting at home and democratic choice: investigating determinants of educational attainment in post-Soviet Tajikistan

This article is the winner of the 2008 CESS Award for Best Graduate Paper. This prize is awarded yearly by the Central Eurasian Studies Society to promote new scholarship focusing on the history, politics, culture and societies of Central Eurasia

Abstract

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, school enrolment, attendance and attainment rates fell across the region. In Tajikistan, there has been a decrease in average completion rates for basic, secondary and higher education, as well as a growing gender gap because girls are much less likely than boys to finish all levels of schooling. Past work on educational stratification in the region has demonstrated similar trends, but not sought to explain the processes generating these patterns. Scholars of educational participation suggest that a variety of family, community and macro-structural factors influence educational attainment. This paper broadens our understanding of the processes generating the decline in educational attainment and widening gender gap by analysing interviews conducted with parents, teachers and university students living in Tajikistan in 2006–2007. Respondents overwhelmingly attribute the drop in educational rates to increased poverty and its effects on family resources. The large decrease in girls' attainment is rationalized by citing cultural norms dictating that they will only become housewives, ‘sitting at home’, and do not need further education. Others point to changes in educational policy as a reason for lower attainment rates because parents and children are now able to choose whether or not to continue studies in the new democratic society.

This article is the winner of the 2008 CESS Award for Best Graduate Paper. This prize is awarded yearly by the Central Eurasian Studies Society to promote new scholarship focusing on the history, politics, culture and societies of Central Eurasia

Keywords:

• Tajikistan
• education
• inequality
• gender

Notes

This article is the winner of the 2008 CESS Award for Best Graduate Paper. This prize is awarded yearly by the Central Eurasian Studies Society to promote new scholarship focusing on the history, politics, culture and societies of Central Eurasia

Scholars often question official reports and it should be noted that even in the late Soviet period there were not schools in every village.

‘Tajikistani’ is used in this paper to refer to citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan, as the sample is multi-ethnic.

Adults in the sample used for analysis from the 2003 Tajik Living Standards Survey ranged in age from 20 to 60.

In Tajik the word for housewife (khonashin) is composed of the word ‘house’ (khona) and ‘sit’ (shin) giving the impression that housewives simply sit at home.

The model was adapted from Buchmann and Hannum (2001).

The Republic of Tajikistan was one of the most economically backward republics of the Soviet Union, but because of its membership in the Union it was integrated into a larger economic system and experienced the benefits of participation in that system.

Most of the violence and destruction of the civil war occurred in 1992, with sporadic violence in following years. However, peace accords were not signed until 1997.

At the time of his election his last name was Rahmonov, but he recently changed his name to remove the Russian ending.

It is also important to note that GDP has plummeted, further reducing the amount of money allocated to education.

Article 41 of the constitution of Tajikistan, adopted in 1994, states that ‘Each person has the right to education. General basic education is obligatory. The government guarantees free high school, trade, 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.’ This article reduced the compulsory level of schooling from secondary to general basic education.

The new structure of Tajikistan's educational system reflects the organization of the Soviet structure. Students enter school in first grade at age seven and the completion of basic education ends in ninth grade. At ninth grade students decide whether or not to continue studies in either the academic track (10th and 11th grades), leading to university study, or the vocational track (in separate technical vocational schools or specialized secondary schools).

The state has developed a textbook rental programme which has reduced the costs of textbooks for families, but books are still a prohibitive cost for many families, especially at the secondary and post-secondary levels.

Badakhshan was excluded only because of practical difficulties in carrying out research in the region.

Village place names are changed to protect the anonymity of respondents.

Interviews with parents were not conducted in Istaravshan or Ulugbek.

Interviews averaged 30 minutes and the longest interview was over 2.5 hours long.

Tajikistan requires a school uniform, which is often expensive, and most complaints about the affordability of ‘clothing’ in the context of education refer to the expense of the school uniform.

The parents' committee is organized rather like parent–teacher associations in the United States. Parents and teachers meet together regularly to participate in activities related to the school.

The gymnasium described below is one such school. It is a school that is divided between a public track and gymnasium track. Students in the gymnasium track are charged tuition for classes beyond the state-mandated curriculum. However, it is obvious from the parents' explanation that students in the public track are also being charged tuition.

Twenty somoni or $7 in 2006.