Project Soro — Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Education in Tajikistan — was announced on October 25, 2025, through a Letter of Intent signed by the Artificial Intelligence Council of Tajikistan (under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies), UNICEF, and zypl.ai. The initiative marks the first large-scale, systematic integration of AI into a national education system in Central Asia. By 2027, the subject “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” will become mandatory in all schools nationwide. The project will reach 4,000 schools and 2 million students, train up to 2,000 AI specialists, and is projected to generate around 150 million USD in economic impact over five years. Implementation proceeds under the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS-2040), which targets 5 percent of national GDP from AI by 2040. SoroLLM, the first large-scale language model for Tajik, will be integrated into the maktabmobile.tj and eDonish digital platforms to enable personalised learning in Tajik, assist educators, and ensure a safe, inclusive learning environment. Official launch is scheduled for Q4 2025, with implementation through 2028.
Who it affects: All primary and secondary school students and teachers across Tajikistan; curriculum designers and educators implementing AI literacy; government ministries coordinating multi-partner education technology.
What is notably missing: No specific detail on teacher training duration, certification requirements, or ongoing professional development funding. Worker retraining provisions outside schools, or workplace AI training obligations for employers, are not addressed. Enforcement mechanisms for curriculum adherence across regional administrations are not specified. Post-secondary and civil servant AI training requirements are absent from the current framework.