Tajikistan Moves Annual “Lesson of Peace” to August 30

The Tajik Education Ministry has announced that annual “Lesson of Peace”, traditionally held on September 1, will take place this year on August 30.

On that day, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will meet with education sector staff at the International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan and deliver the customary address, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

Only pupils in grades 8-11 and university students are required to attend schools and universities on August 30 to watch the president’s speech broadcast live. Pupils in grades 1-7 will remain at home. The official start of the academic year for all pupils and students will be September 1.

The ministry did not clarify the reason for moving the lesson, though President Rahmon is scheduled to be in China on September 1 for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

In recent years, the “Lesson of Peace” has served as a platform for the president to meet with education officials, review achievements and challenges, and set priorities for the sector. In 2024, despite September 1 falling on a Sunday, the event was held at School No. 19 in Dushanbe’s Sino district. During that address, President Rahmon identified such issues as teacher shortages, school repairs, digitalization gaps, textbook scarcity, limited subject classrooms, student fee collection, and student involvement in official meetings, giving officials-including the minister of education and science-a two-year timeframe to resolve them.