At present, the MoE does not provide informal or non-formal education. However, in practice, the Ministry has been engaging in limited forms of non-formal education activities. For instance, the MoE supports Children Clubs, which having developed out of former Soviet cultural and educational structures for children. These clubs provide some extracurricular educational activities for children of various ages (German Technical Cooperation 2008).
With regards to non-formal/informal adult education, currently, a complex state mechanism of Professional Education for Adults (PEA) exists in the Republic. Since 2007, a gradual process of establishing a system of PEA started in Tajikistan. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP) of Tajikistan was appointed as the state body to manage the adult education system (Republic of Tajikistan 2008). The Ministry established a National Adult Training Centre of Tajikistan in Dushanbe with four regional branches (European Training Foundation 2010). The training centres seek to provide nationally recognized certification to qualified migrant workers. In 2008, 15 PEA centres were up and running to deliver services to 20% of officially registered unemployed citizens (Republic of Tajikistan 2008).
In Tajikistan the vast majority of non-formal education for children and youth are conducted by NGOs. A major problem is that the activities and programmes of Tajik non-governmental structures are not sustainable due to uncertainties regarding donor funding, on which they are heavily reliant. Thus, short-term approaches and limited funds are two of the major obstacles for non-formal/informal education services in Tajikistan (German Technical Cooperation 2008).
The current situation of the state system of PEA in Tajikistan is physically and technologically outdated. Moreover, the training provided rarely conforms to the requirements of the labour market. Further development of the PEA system is one of the country’s priorities in the sphere of national poverty strategies (Republic of Tajikistan 2008).
