A Discussion of Youth, Education and Empowerment in Central Asia

Dr Abbas’s presentation entitled Youth Empowerment in Central Asia: Deciphering the data from Tajikistan, at the 22 April meeting, discussed the challenges and possibilities for youth empowerment from the perspective of formal education and employment in Tajikistan, and continued with the theme of 'empowerment’ and its possible meanings and practices in Central Asia.

Dr Abbas provided an overview of the country profile and demographics, and focused in particular on the current state of the education sector. It was noted that there are strong statistical indicators for high levels of literacy (99.5% or 9th in UN country rankings), participation and structural resources in Tajikistan. However, he also argued that the statistics masked other challenges undermining young people’s ability to participate and achieve in education and economic sector: a shortage of teachers, high drop-out rates, out-migration and the lack of opportunities in the labour market all had significant impacts.

The lack of employment opportunities for youth leaving the education system was also discussion. It was noted that high numbers of young people completing their education were jobless. This is exacerbated by an overall demographic increase in 15-29 year olds – a ‘youth bulge’ – which was particularly pronounced in rural areas. This was compounded by a lack of agricultural land (only 6.52% of Tajikistan is arable land), and thus employment opportunities in rural areas. It was argued that despite the high levels of literacy – an important asset for the country – this human intellectual potential has been under-utilized in the economic sector. It was noted that youth often feel constrained, feel they have few prospects, and have low levels of mobilization, which is in turn eroding social capital. Wider negative repercussions of this situation on society were also examined.

Dr Abbas argued that there is a fundamental imbalance between the economic sectors ability to exploit the capacity of the education sector, which is influenced by a number of structural and other factors. It was suggested that the purpose and outcome of educational institutions and qualifications need to have greater synergy with young people’s capabilities, and potential contribution to the economy.

Dr Abbas recommended using an empowerment approach to address this situation: combining agency (an actor’s knowledge assets and ability to exploit economic, social and political opportunities) and opportunity (the institutional context in society that constrains or allows individuals’ to transform their agency into action). In practice, this would focus on education that was: needs-based; approach-based; enabled capacities; assured marketability and skills in demand, and was oriented towards purpose, change, creativity and solutions.

Group discussion following the presentation brought up a number of questions: the degree to which youth themselves strive for empowerment; the level of continuity between pre- and post-Soviet times (for example, in relation to teachers’ attitudes, and in relation to the level of social capital); and what measures were being used to address the lack of economic stimulation.

Dr Abbas noted that the attitudes of students and teachers ranged in the degree to which they strove for empowerment, and their responses could be categorised as either back-ward looking, forward-looking or those who see themselves in a place of uncertainty or limbo. Regarding initiatives to reinvigorate the economy, Dr Abbas pointed out that many served as ‘band aids’, rather than addressing the underlying dynamics of the economic and education sectors. He advocated for both a more pragmatic assessment of the situation, and for the need to set standards by which to measure levels of empowerment.

Other comments included the importance of historicising and contextualising the lack of social capital in relation to the wider political and economic discourses such as neo-liberalism. It was asked whether the model of tailoring education in response to work skills gaps was the most effective model, given its lack of success in other, ‘Western’ contexts. In particular, the relevance and efficacy of the current discourse that links education to social ascension was questioned, particularly in light of the current global economic crisis. It was suggested that social entrepreneurship and a greater emphasis on social capital could be explored as an effective way of dealing with the current imbalance. Member’s impressions of the impacts of the current financial crisis on everyday life in Tajikistan were also discussed.

If you would like any further information about Dr Abbas's presentation, please contact NAbbas@iis.ac.uk.