Congratulatory Message on the Occasion of Youth Day
Youth of a happy and proud country! Heirs of the future of the Motherland!
From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you on Youth Day, which is annually celebrated on May 23 in our independent state.
I wish each of you, first and foremost, health, happiness, as well as strong will and determination on the path of sacred service to the Motherland.
We consider youth to be a great force in achieving the constructive and future-oriented goals of the state and the Government of the country.
That is why from the very first days of independence, we have created all the necessary conditions for the education, upbringing, intellectual and physical development of youth and continue this work purposefully and consistently.
In this regard, I want to emphasize one important point: the protection of the independence and freedom of Tajikistan, strengthening the foundations of national statehood — one of our main political goals — today and in the future directly depends on the patriotic activity of youth.
With satisfaction and pride, I state that worthy and valiant Tajik youth played a huge role in the most difficult moments in defending state independence, restoring constitutional order, ensuring peace, stability, and national unity.
And today, brave and patriotic young men and women of Tajikistan sincerely serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies of the country, ensuring the security of the state and society, peace and calm, strengthening the country's defense power, and protecting the peaceful life of the Tajik people.
Today, youth actively participate in all spheres of the life of the state and society — in science and education, healthcare and culture, mastering and applying modern technologies, entrepreneurship, industry, agriculture, energy, and public service.
Their activities in developing sports as an important factor of a healthy lifestyle and a worthy representation of beloved Tajikistan on the international stage are also worthy of praise.
The Government of the country takes all necessary measures to address issues of education, training, employment, activities, recreation, and leisure of youth, creating decent living conditions for them.
Among these are the adoption and implementation of laws in the field of youth work and sports, effective implementation of the State Youth Policy Strategy until 2030, and state programs in these areas, which have created organizational and legal foundations for the development of this sphere.
Among such measures are the creation of the National Youth Council under the President of the country, the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports, construction and commissioning of youth centers in cities and districts of the republic, construction of thousands of modern schools and tens of thousands of modern sports facilities.
As I have noted earlier, in order to create the best conditions for education and upbringing of the younger generation and youth in the field of education, 11 state investment projects amounting to 4.6 billion somoni are being implemented.
Since independence, 3,670 new general education schools, 262 kindergartens, and 35 higher education institutions have been built and put into operation in the country.
In 1991, there were only 13 universities with 69 thousand students in the country.
Today, their number has reached 48, and the number of students exceeds 214 thousand.
Currently, there are 153 lyceums, colleges, and short-term vocational training courses functioning in the country with 141 thousand students and pupils.
In addition, during the years of independence, more than 117 thousand talented young citizens of our country were sent to study at prestigious universities in 42 developed countries of the world.
Today, 42,400 talented Tajik students receive education in the best universities of 42 advanced countries.
All these measures reflect the support and care of the state and Government of Tajikistan aimed at equipping youth with modern knowledge and professions.
The policy of rejuvenating the state service staff, the establishment of presidential quotas and scholarships, the Ismoil Somoni State Prize for young scientists, republican contests such as “The Radiance of Morning Wisdom is the Book,” “Tajikistan — My Beloved Homeland!,” “Science is the Light of Enlightenment,” and other events are vivid proof of the constant care and attention of the state to the younger generation.
With a sense of satisfaction and pride, it can be noted that our youth, realizing their political and social responsibility to the state and society, work with a warm feeling of patriotism and unity for the progress and prosperity of the Motherland.
For the development of natural sciences, expansion of innovative thinking, and broad application of modern technologies, we declared the years 2020–2040 as the “Years of Study and Development of Natural, Exact, and Mathematical Sciences,” and 2025–2030 as the “Years of Innovation and Digital Economy Development.”
In this regard, we hope that youth, mastering modern knowledge especially in the field of exact and natural sciences, demonstrating creativity, inventiveness, broad outlook, and initiative, will make a worthy contribution to the achievement of these goals.
Youth, who grew up in an atmosphere of independence, freedom, peace, stability, and national unity, must cherish independent Tajikistan and its achievements as the greatest blessing of the Tajik people and with their constructive labor further strengthen and develop the beloved Motherland.
The modern world is unstable and restless; the clash of civilizations primarily affects the consciousness and thinking of the younger generation negatively.
In such sensitive times, you, children of independent Tajikistan, must always be vigilant, appreciate the language, history, culture, customs, and traditions, and other national values, never succumb to alien influences, and remember that each of you bears responsibility for protecting the interests of the Tajik people and the state.
You are our dear young people, builders of the bright future of Tajikistan, the reliable support of the state and nation, and must possess high national consciousness, sincerely love your Motherland, loyally protect it, and be proud to be descendants of one of the oldest, cultural, and civilizational nations in the world.
I am fully confident in your intellect and talent, consciousness and self-awareness, courage and bravery, spiritual and physical strength — you are the children of the era of Tajikistan’s independence.
I am confident that you will continue the traditions of patriotism, service to the Motherland, creation, and construction, will make Tajikistan even more prosperous and raise its authority on the international stage.
Once again, from the bottom of my heart, I congratulate all of you — the youth and adolescents of the country — on Youth Day and wish each of you health, luck, and success in your constructive activities for the prosperity of beloved Tajikistan.
Happy Youth Day, happy children of the Motherland!
