The centre was created under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in 2008 in compliance with the government’s decree. Already in 2011 the centre opened its offices in different cities and regions all over the country – Kurgantyube, Kulyab, Kanibadam, Khorog, Isfar, Pendzhikent, Istaravshan and others.

The centre provides vocational education training for people of different age, mainly for those unemployed and labour migrants on 48 professions and occupations that are on demand on the labour market.

Only in 2011 alone 45,000 people underwent trainings in 28 education centres of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, which is by four times more than in 2010. Of them almost half are women and young girls.

Moreover, under support of the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC) the Child Labour Monitoring System has been launched in the centre since 2009. At present, 150 child labourers study in this centre and its office in Isfar.

During his visit to the centre the president met with several working children and listened to a presentation on the Child Labour Monitoring System. In particular, he got acquainted with teaching methodologies of the vocational education training, non-formal education system and SCREAM sessions (Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media).

Emomali Rakhmon expressed sincere gratitude to the ILO-IPEC for its long-term project in Tajikistan that gives children hope for a better future and provides comprehensive support to child labourers and their parents.

He in turn promised to provide necessary support for the project’s implementation at the national level and recommended the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection to develop closer cooperation with ILO-IPEC in eliminating child labour and to provide employment assistance to parents of 150 working children exposed by the monitoring groups.

(This article contains information from www.president.tj. Photo: Copyright © Republic of Tajikistan.)