Education in Turkmenistan Under the Second President: Genuine Reforms or Make Believe?

Abstract

Turkmenistan educational system has gone through substantial changes in the years following the death of the first president, Niyazow. The second president, Berdimuhamedow, initially seemed to pay extensive attention to this sphere and launched several reforms abolishing the most bizarre measures introduced by his predecessor. However, it rapidly became clear that the real problems of Turkmen education—corruption and kinship, ideology, or lack of qualified cadres—would not be eventually solved; the system has even further deteriorated in many aspects. The president prefers to promote his own image rather than real reforms, and he also fears to be deprived of his control over the country and of his wide family assets. In this regard, the educational system mirrors Turkmenistan general social environment and political culture. Without substantial changes in these two domains, which currently seems hardly probable, Turkmen education is headed for even deeper downgrading. The most motivated, privately trained, and wealthy enough students will be the only ones capable to become successful in the global labor market; others will be forced to keep as staff for corrupted Turkmen society and politics.