DUSHANBE, March 19, 2015, Asia- Plus -- On Wednesday March 18, Mr. Yoshishiro Horie, Deputy Chief of Mission, Japan’s Embassy in Dushanbe visited School No. 21 in the village of Guruldi, Temurmalik district of Khatlon province and attended a handover ceremony to commemorate the successful completion of the Project for Construction of Secondary School in Guruldi Village, supported under the framework of Japan’s “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP)”.

Japan’s Embassy in Dushanbe says the Government of Japan granted 113,210 U.S. dollars to the local authorities of the Temurmalik district for construction of a new school building with six classrooms and one teachers’ room. The previous school building had no proper flooring and cracks on the walls were noticeably present, creating an unsuitable environment for studying.

Now with the project completion, the school’s 180 students from 1st through 11th grades are provided with a significantly improved learning environment.  On this occasion, the local government of Temurmalik also equipped the new school building with new desks, chairs, and blackboards.

Along with the school’s students, teachers, and director, the handover ceremony was also attended by Mr. Mirzokhon Gulmamadzoda, chairperson of Temurmalik district, who during the ceremony extended his words of gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for their support.

“Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project” (GGP) is a scheme within Japan’s Official Development Assistance.  GGP in particular implements grassroots-level projects in various sectors throughout Tajikistan.  Recipients of GGP grants include local governments, educational and medical institutions, and NGOs.  To-date, GGP has supported 341 projects in the Republic of Tajikistan, for which US$ 27.6 million has been allocated since 1996.