School beekeeping projects, fruit orchards, and farms that help provide food for children were among the issues discussed during a high-level meeting in the Pamirs. From September 21 to 25, members of the Interdepartmental Coordination Council on School Feeding visited schools in Vanj and Shughnan districts and the city of Khorog. On Friday, they gathered at Moyonsho Nazarshoev Khorog State University to review the findings and set priorities for the new academic year.
The meeting brought together the leadership of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), representatives of the Ministries of Health and Social Protection, Education and Science, Finance, and Agriculture, the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, as well as local authorities and relevant institutions.
The discussions opened with a review of the State Programme for the Development of School Feeding in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022–2027. Participants examined what was achieved in GBAO during the 2025/2026 academic year and identified priorities for the year ahead. After a week of school visits, they had a clearer picture of how the figures in the reports compared with the situation on the ground.
Finance officials outlined how budget allocations were used in the pilot schools and discussed potential alternative funding sources.
One of the key topics was making better use of resources already available to schools. School grounds can serve a practical purpose, supporting activities such as fruit growing, beekeeping, and livestock farming. Participants also discussed how grants could help schools develop these initiatives. The discussion brought together issues of school feeding, agriculture, and land use, with contributions from the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, and local authorities.
The final session focused on the development of the Programme in GBAO during the 2026/2027 academic year. Government agencies compared their observations from the school visits with the Programme objectives and identified issues that would require coordinated action.
The meeting concluded with a general discussion, whose main takeaway extended beyond the formal agenda. A school lunch may seem simple: a bowl of hot soup, a piece of bread, a glass of tea. However, behind it are budgets and grants, school grounds and orchards, ministries and their ability to work together.
In the mountains, it is particularly clear that school feeding is not simply an expense. It is an investment in children's health, their ability to learn, and the future of a region to be shaped by today's students. When a school can produce at least some of its own food from the land around it, caring for children becomes not only a responsibility of the state, but a shared commitment of the entire community.
The meeting brought together the leadership of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), representatives of the Ministries of Health and Social Protection, Education and Science, Finance, and Agriculture, the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, as well as local authorities and relevant institutions.
The discussions opened with a review of the State Programme for the Development of School Feeding in the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022–2027. Participants examined what was achieved in GBAO during the 2025/2026 academic year and identified priorities for the year ahead. After a week of school visits, they had a clearer picture of how the figures in the reports compared with the situation on the ground.
Finance officials outlined how budget allocations were used in the pilot schools and discussed potential alternative funding sources.
One of the key topics was making better use of resources already available to schools. School grounds can serve a practical purpose, supporting activities such as fruit growing, beekeeping, and livestock farming. Participants also discussed how grants could help schools develop these initiatives. The discussion brought together issues of school feeding, agriculture, and land use, with contributions from the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, and local authorities.
The final session focused on the development of the Programme in GBAO during the 2026/2027 academic year. Government agencies compared their observations from the school visits with the Programme objectives and identified issues that would require coordinated action.
The meeting concluded with a general discussion, whose main takeaway extended beyond the formal agenda. A school lunch may seem simple: a bowl of hot soup, a piece of bread, a glass of tea. However, behind it are budgets and grants, school grounds and orchards, ministries and their ability to work together.
In the mountains, it is particularly clear that school feeding is not simply an expense. It is an investment in children's health, their ability to learn, and the future of a region to be shaped by today's students. When a school can produce at least some of its own food from the land around it, caring for children becomes not only a responsibility of the state, but a shared commitment of the entire community.