Mother-Daughter Duo Readies Young Women in Rural Tajikistan to Pursue STEM Education

Statistical data reveals a concerning gender disparity in education in Tajikistan, which grows as students progress through the education system. At the higher education level, just 38.5% of graduates are women (UNESCO). Muqaddas Homidjonova, a dedicated philology educator in Tajikistan, attributes this stark divide to deeply entrenched cultural norms that prioritize marriage over higher education for women in Tajikistan.

“Women in rural areas of Tajikistan encounter unique challenges in their pursuit of STEM education. Limited access to quality educational institutions is a primary concern,” Muqaddas shares. “Additionally, cultural norms and expectations play a significant role: families may not see the value of investing in their daughters’ STEM education when they expect them to marry and take on household responsibilities at a young age.”

Recognizing the urgent need to address this pervasive issue, Muqaddas and her 19-year-old daughter Nozanin founded Shams (“Sunshine” in Tajik), an NGO located in the small city of Guliston in the Sughd region of northwest Tajikistan. Shams’ Win the Future initiative readies schoolgirls from rural areas to continue pursuing science, math, and technology by gamifying STEM education. With support from Eurasia Foundation’s Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA) program, this initiative trained 127 young women in physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, and vital soft skills.

According to Muqaddas, the inspiration for the project came from her daughter. While studying computer science at university, Nozanin experienced the gender inequality prevalent in STEM fields. “In my class, only 10% of students were women, a discouraging factor for many,” Nozanin says. In rural areas, women’s enrollment rates were even lower. Muqaddas and Nozanin resolved to change this status quo.

As an experienced educator herself, Muqaddas recognized teachers’ capacity to spark students’ passion. Thus, Win the Future’s first step was to enlist outstanding educators from three neighboring villages. These teachers would provide engaging STEM lessons to girls in local schools through a dedicated after-school program.

The team devised a friendly competition among participating schools to further motivate the students. Participants earned points by advancing in their extracurricular studies and attending after-school classes. The highest achieving student would win a trip to Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, and visit to the country’s leading university.

As of October 2023, 91 young women who participated in Win the Future have embarked on higher education tracks at university. Sixteen of them secured prestigious government scholarships. “I am elated that our venture as representatives of civil society has yielded such resounding success. Much of our achievement is attributed to the invaluable support we received from the USAID Social Innovation in Central Asia program,” shares Muqaddas.

Shahzoda Ganiboeva, an 18-year-old project participant, earned a government-sponsored spot in the Faculty of Chemistry at the Tajik National University in Dushanbe. She credits a significant portion of her accomplishments to Shams’ support. “[The courses] have been transformative; without them, I might not have achieved what I have today,” she says.

For both Muqaddas and Nozanin, the Shams project marks merely the beginning of their journey to advocate for gender equality in Tajikistan’s educational landscape. “We are gearing up to launch a focused media campaign to emphasize the critical role of education for Tajikistani women,” Muqaddas affirms. “The Shams initiative represents a pivotal step in our vision to lead rural girls towards advanced learning.”

Want to learn more about Muqaddas and Nozanin? Check out their video from Eurasia Foundation’s Pass the Mic series!