A modern-day early childhood teacher education initiative on Tajikistan’s historic silk road: Dushanbe to the roof of the world

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article is on early childhood teacher education in Tajikistan. It is contextualized by the collapse of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan’s rebirth in 1992, followed by Tajikistan’s immediate spiral into a five-year civil war. Established as a presidential republic and having existed for fewer than 25 years as war-free, Tajikistan has made recovery efforts toward establishing stability and developing government, military, business, health, and education. One aspect of Tajikistan’s rapid growth efforts is early childhood education, specifically, to provide early childhood programs aligned with alternative early childhood development (ECD) models (i.e., alternative to the teacher-centered Soviet-era kindergarten programs). With limited wealth and lack of a developed infrastructure, Tajikistan’s early education leaders work diligently on alternative models with a variety of funding partners. Building on this foundation, the authors shared collaborative, culturally responsive, early childhood teacher training initiatives in two diverse Tajik cities along the historic silk trade route. Reflections on how the trainings were delivered and received provide teacher educators, particularly in international settings, insights into strategies that build upon the history while sharing current practices.