KHUJAND, August 8, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Ms. Bisabohat Ismoilova, a lecturer with Khujand-based Tajik State University of law, Business and Politics, faces charge of bribery.

According to press service of the Sughd anticorruption directorate, Ms. Ismoilova demanded 1,200 U.> dollars from local resident for getting his nephew into the University.  “The teacher was caught red-handed while she was taking bribe,” the source said.

Criminal proceedings against Bisabohat Ismoilova have been instituted under the provisions of Article 247, Part 4, Point “B” of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – large-scale fraud.

In the meantime, the August 6 RFE/RL item “In Central Asia, Corruption Undermining Education System” note that the problem of bribery in the education system has been a topic of political debate in Central Asia in recent years, with officials warning that corrupt practices and widespread bribery have severely damaged the quality of education.

High-school teachers throughout the region complain that students skip lessons and don''t take their studies seriously, raising fears that they are not properly prepared as they take the next step in their education.

At the university level, corruption does not stop with the entrance exam. Once in the classroom, students routinely pay bribes to get better grades and to pass exams.  It is common for professors to have different fees, so-called "stavki," to pass their exams.

It is a common practice throughout Central Asia, where people say it is a fact of life that most university entrants must pay bribes to get enrolled into institutions of higher education.

Suggestions have been made that raising teachers'' and university professors'' wages could help eliminate corruption. State university professors throughout Central Asia receive meager wages, ranging between $70 and $400 a month.

Concerns have also been raised that the continuation of unfair practices will deny the children of non-wealthy families the opportunity to build a better future for themselves through education.