This article discusses the initiatives for out-of-school children in Tajikistan. The Tajik government has published two blueprint documents, namely, the "National Strategy for Education Development 2006-2015" and the "National Strategy for Education Development until 2020," which outlines a national vision for universal access to quality education of all children and young people in the country. Accordingly, this article investigates the extent to which this national vision has been implemented by examining the issues of poverty and gender bias, which are considered major factors affecting the implementation of the national strategy. The data set of the UNICEF Study on Out-of-School Children, "Tajikistan Country Study 2012," is used to achieve the objectives of this study. Results of the analysis suggest that disjunctions exist in educational governance, particularly between the international norms and the governance capacity of the state with regard to the implementation of educational reforms, and between the responsibility of the government and that of the local community with regard to addressing socio-cultural barriers. This article concludes with some insights into the sustained connection between the national initiatives on out-of-school children and the local responses and adaptations.