EurasiaNet Civil Society - Turkmenistan: Education System Proves Stubbornly Resistant to Reform

CIVIL SOCIETY

TURKMENISTAN: EDUCATION SYSTEM PROVES STUBBORNLY RESISTANT TO REFORM
10/23/07

Turkmenistan’s new leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has cultivated an image as a cautious reformer - mainly through a pledge to improve the Central Asian nation’s education system. Initial steps to develop a new culture of learning in Turkmenistan, however, have not brought visible benefits to the educational sphere, observers in Ashgabat report.

In approaching the legacy of his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, Berdymukhamedov has moved cautiously. On the one hand, Berdymukhamedov has let it be known that the cult of personality built up around Niyazov is not going to be dismantled anytime soon. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. On the other hand, Berdymukhamedov has spoken repeatedly about reversing some of the most damaging aspects of Niyazov’s tenure, which was marked by anti-intellectualism. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. During his first-ever trip to the United States in September, for example, one of Berdymukhamedov’s top priorities was establishing contacts that could help Turkmenistan revive its educational system.

Shortly after winning a special presidential election in February, Berdymukhamedov decreed the extension of compulsory education to 10 years from the nine-year system that existed under Niyazov. He also restored university education to a five-year course, seemingly intent on reversing his predecessor’s higher education policy of two years of classroom study and two years of practical experience.

Despite such steps, observers report that there has been little change in the quality of education in Turkmenistan. "We are currently on the verge of a humanitarian disaster; an entire generation of youth has been �written off’ from the educational point of view," said one university lecturer, who spoke to EurasiaNet on condition of anonymity. "For years, the efforts were focused on the elimination of education system. It will be very hard to restore it."

Another Ashgabat resident, a self-described public activist, said that Niyazov’s isolationist policies have already taken a devastating toll. Many young people, especially those outside of the capital, lack even the most basic computer skills, and are, therefore, unprepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. "Unfortunately, the former education system has survived Niyazov and is still in force. It has already helped to create an isolated, illiterate people," the Ashgabat resident said.

A source at Turkmen State University said that the curriculum instituted by Niyazov is still in use. That means one of the main textbooks for all university students continues to be the Ruhnama, the spiritual guide for the Turkmen nations supposedly penned by Niyazov. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

"We have no orders from the Education Ministry, no curriculum; we don’t know when they will be available, everything is going on in accordance with the prior scheme", the university official said.

For many parents who went through the Soviet educational system, the value of a Turkmen higher educational degree is debatable. One Ashgabat mother of a 22-year-old only partially lamented the fact that her child did not go to college. "Is it worth studying in our universities now anyway, what level of education do they provide? I graduated from a Soviet-era university where I studied Russian philology. That was a true education," the mother said.

For those desiring a higher education there are comparatively few openings at universities and institutes. Aptitude is often not the determining factor in who is admitted. Rather, bribery reportedly still plays an important role. According to some parents, a spot in the law department at Turkmen State University can cost upwards of $17,000, and gaining admission to the medical department is said to cost $15,000.

"This year, my daughter failed the exams at the medical university � even though the whole year she had intensively studied with tutors. [It was] because I didn’t give a bribe. After she failed the exams here, we went to Moscow and she passed the exams at Moscow’s medical university! I believe the money we would have had to pay here for her to become a student will cover the entire period of her stay in Russia," an Ashgabat father said.

Recent graduates also report that the Niyazov-era requirement of two years of practical work remains in effect, despite the Berdymukhamedov edict. Under this system, former students need to work at a qualified state institution or enterprise. Yet, due to the stagnating economy (outside of the energy sector), state enterprises are reluctant to take on college students seeking to complete their degree requirement. Without proof of completing the two-year work requirement, students are unable to obtain their university degree.

"I graduated from the university in 1999 and am still unable to get my higher education certificate. The situation is ridiculous," said an Ashgabat woman. "In our group there were 56 students. Forty of them are such �specialists without a diploma!’"

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