06.11.07

An instructor provides basic instruction on the law for professors at Tajik Islamic University in Dushanbe during the Rule of Law Initiative's inaugural training series in April 2007

For the first time in its history, the Tajik Islamic University in Dushanbe will be including courses on law and civics as part of its regular university curriculum, thanks to a cooperative effort between the university and the ABA Rule of Law Initiative.

Classes for university professors began at the school on April 19, 2007. Using instructors and materials supplied by the Rule of Law Initiative, a broad range of subjects will be covered, including: fundamentals of constitutional structure; legal status of individuals and citizens; order of organization and activities of bodies of state power; definition and types of public organizations and their legal status; and the participation of religious organizations in public life.

A total of 70 university professors will be trained in these areas through two parallel curricula (of 35 professors each) each consisting of seven weekly segments through the end of May.

During the summer the Rule of Law Initiative plans to conduct a ten-day civics summer camp for 60 Tajik Islamic University students. To fund the camp, the Rule of Law Initiative has approached The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Dushanbe. Funding is also provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

These programs will enable the Tajik Islamic University to develop (with the further assistance of the Rule of Law Initiative) a civics education course as a permanent part of its regular curriculum.  The university has long been eager to include civics education in its curriculum but until now has been unable to find assistance for its development.

For more information, please contact Central Asia Program Officer Heather Safrank, at <hsafrank@staff.abanet.org>.