The inauguration ceremony was attended by various officials, including the Representative of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, Akramzoda Mahmadyusuf, the Saudi Ambassador to Tajikistan, Waleed Alreshiadan, the Chairman of Shahrinav district, Valizoda Abduqodir, and the Director of PIU, Vohidzoda Umeda, among others.

The newly inaugurated Shahrinav School will play a crucial role in meeting the educational needs of Tajikistan. With 36 classrooms and a capacity to accommodate 620 students, the school is one of 34 new educational institutions constructed as part of the fourth phase of the project.

Moreover, the establishment of the school aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4, which focuses on ensuring quality education, and SDG 8, which seeks to promote decent work and economic growth.

Expressing his gratitude, Abdullzoda Ziyodullo, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan, thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their support in the education sector through the SFD. He emphasized the importance of education in Tajikistan’s development plans and its direct impact on the socio-economic growth and prosperity of the nation’s people.

Sultan Al-Marshad, the CEO of the SFD, highlighted the organization’s belief in the significance of education as a means of empowering students. He emphasized that education enhances competencies, develops skills, and provides opportunities for growth and success. The inauguration of the Shahrinav School is part of a broader educational project aimed at improving the educational landscape throughout Tajikistan.

The inauguration of the Shahrinav School exemplifies the continued commitment of the SFD to support Tajikistan’s education sector. So far, the SFD has financed four development projects in the education sector, resulting in the construction and equipping of 57 secondary schools across four phases in different regions of Tajikistan. The total funding provided by the SFD for these projects amounts to $75 million USD. Additionally, the SFD has supported 12 development projects in Tajikistan, with a total funding of over $193 million USD across various key sectors.

The successful completion and inauguration of the Shahrinav School mark a significant milestone in the efforts to strengthen the education sector in Tajikistan, providing students with improved access to quality education and contributing to the country’s overall development goals.

Lopez Obrador announced in a post on Twitter that the agreed sale price for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner used by his predecessor Enrique Peña Nieto – but never by him – was about 1.66 billion pesos, or about $92 million.

In a video accompanying the post, the president said the sale demonstrated how Mexican politics has changed under his leadership.

“It’s important that everyone knows how people thought before, how the authorities acted, like little pharaohs,” he said, sitting in a high leather-backed seat, flanked by officials.

“Not anymore.”

More details of the sale of the plane to the Central Asian country would be disclosed next week, including what he described as the aircraft’s exorbitant maintenance costs.

One of the officials with the president, Jorge Mendoza, head of national development bank Banobras, said the Tajikistan state council that purchased the plane has about 10 days to take possession of it.

The populist leftist who has for decades railed against corruption of political elites, had previously said he hoped to sell the aircraft for at least $150 million, down from its original $218 million purchase price in 2012.

Shortly after Lopez Obrador took office in late 2018, he announced plans to sell the jet, which featured marble touches and official government seals emblazoned on the walls along with multiple flat-screen monitors.

But years went by with no sale, and at one point the frugal Mexican leader, who has championed budget austerity during his more than four years in office, proposed to raffle off the aircraft.

Lopez Obrador, who takes commercial flights when he does travel, said the proceeds of the sale will be used to build two 80-bed public hospitals in southern Guerrero and Oaxaca states, among the country’s poorest regions.

“They will be built by military engineers and will be inaugurated before my term ends,” he added.