29,000 Specialists Through the Presidential Quota Over 29 Years. How Many Are Working Today?

From 1997 to the present day, 29,000 students have studied at universities in Tajikistan through the presidential quota. Emomali Rahmon announced this on August 31 during his address on the occasion of the new academic year at General Secondary School No. 105 in the Shohmansur district of Dushanbe.

According to him, 29,000 secondary school graduates from 61 cities and districts of Tajikistan received education at 20 higher educational institutions in the country through the presidential quota.

Although Tajikistan’s authorities claim that graduates who studied through the presidential quota are now working “successfully” in various sectors, there are no precise data on how many of them returned to their districts to work after graduating from university.

Emomali Rahmon cites statistical data on the number of students who studied through the quota against the backdrop of complaints about staff shortages, yet at the same time asserts that “the country needs specialists, not just young people with diplomas.”

Complaints About Staff Shortages

Meanwhile, over the past three decades, authorities continue to complain about shortages of teachers, doctors, and other specialists. How, then, should the effectiveness of the presidential quota be assessed?

The presidential quota was created in 1997 for talented girls from remote districts. In 2005, young men were also included in the quota. Until 2020, according to official data, 22,209 students were admitted to universities through this quota.

Authorities have repeatedly emphasized that specialists who graduated from universities through the quota do not work in their field of specialization. Despite the training of thousands of teaching personnel, officials in the education sector still complain about staff shortages. For example, in 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science reported that all educational institutions in the country lack 3,848 teachers.

Previously, the Agency for Supervision in Science and Education also reported 216.5 vacant positions, approximately 240 open vacancies, and about 700 students recruited to work as teachers.

Nevertheless, the persistent shortage of personnel in the education sector indicates that this problem concerns not only one industry—other sectors, particularly healthcare, face the same issue.

Industry experts believe that the problem lies not in the absence of personnel, nor in the notion that all vacant positions should be filled exclusively by quota graduates. According to them, there are structural problems in training and retaining personnel. One of the main issues is low salaries, which are insufficient to support a young specialist’s livelihood.

The Problem Is Not Limited to Education

The healthcare sector faces the same situation. The state program for the development of medical institutions acknowledges that Tajikistan is experiencing a shortage of highly qualified medical personnel. This sector lacks approximately 4,400 family doctors and 4,900 family nurses. It is also reported that more than 30 cities and districts lack certain specialists.

Another state program notes that in regions with very low physician availability, the number of applicants and students at medical universities is also lower.

Experts note that the problem will not be solved simply by increasing the number of students, because for a young doctor or teacher to remain working in mountainous districts, a diploma alone is not enough. This requires a workplace, decent salary, housing, social conditions, infrastructure, and opportunities for professional growth.

If the state trains hundreds of young people at the expense of the state budget but after university graduation leaves them in conditions where there are no opportunities for living and professional growth, a large part of the problem will remain unsolved. They will be forced to leave the country and work where better conditions are offered.