Training
Virtually all Turkmen adults can read and
write. The compulsory schooling is twelve years.
However, some children drop out of school early,
especially in rural areas.
The school system deteriorated after independence
from the Soviet Union in 1991 through the then education
policy of Saparmurat Nijazov (then Saparmurat Nyżazow).
Appropriations for the education sector were low,
teaching resources were lacking, teachers were dismissed
and Nijazov's own writing Ruhnama (The Book of the Soul)
became compulsory reading in schools.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Turkmenistan, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
After Nijazov's death in 2006, some improvements were
made. In 2007, ten years of compulsory school became
compulsory, and in 2013 two years of compulsory upper
secondary education were introduced. The same year, it
was announced that schools no longer need to use
Nijazov's book in teaching. Instead, students would read
books about different cultures in the world.
The children start school at the age of six. Two of
three children go to preschool before. Nine out of ten
children start primary school and the vast majority
continue to the upper classes. However, some students
quit early, often to work in the cotton fields.
Teaching is mainly in Turkmen, and since 1996 Latin
alphabet is used. English is increasing in importance.
Many Russian or Uzbek-speaking schools have been closed.
There are universities in Ashgabat (Aşgabat) and the
country has about 20 colleges, where the studies are
subject to fees.
Competition for study places is fierce and bribery is
common. Previously, the regime prevented Turkmen
students from reading abroad, but since 2008, student
exchange has increased, not least with Russia.
- Educationvv: Provides school and education information in Turkmenistan, covering middle school, high school and college education.
FACTS - EDUCATION
Reading and writing skills
99.7 percent (2014)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
20.8 percent (2012)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
20.8 percent (2012)
2016
November
President's son into parliament
November 23
Serdar Berdimuhamedow gets 83 percent of the vote in a parliamentary
election. He is the only known son of the president, but it is not widely known
how old he is.
October
Presidential election in February
15 October
Decides that presidential elections will be held on 12 February 2017;
September
The term of office of the President is extended
September 14
Parliament adopts constitutional amendments that in practice allow
Berdimuhamedow to remain as president for life. On the one hand, the president's
term of office is extended from five to seven years, and the 70-year age limit
for presidential candidates is abolished. As before, a president can be
re-elected an unlimited number of times. Berdimuhamedow promises that in the
upcoming elections there will be "alternatives" for voters, as three parties
will be allowed to stand.
April
The change of minister in the wake of the crisis
April 8
President Berdimuhamedow dismisses the Minister of Finance and Development,
the Minister of Commerce and the Head of the Tax Authority. He accuses them of
"serious shortcomings", but the layoffs are mainly seen as another attempt to
cope with the economic crisis caused by the low oil and gas prices.
Wedding couples must be HIV tested
April 6
A new law provides that people applying for a marriage certificate must
undergo HIV testing. It is the closest the closed state has come to the
recognition that there is a problem with HIV infection. In the rest of the
former Soviet Union, HIV and AIDS are a widespread problem.
March
Code of conduct silences criticism
March 31st
A code of conduct for civil servants comes into force. It establishes how
officials should be dressed and how they should behave at work, but also
prohibits them from publicly expressing opinions that are not in line with the
government's line and criticizing state authorities. Nor can public officials
speak openly about their workplaces' budgets or the cost of purchasing
equipment.
January
Currency trading is stopped
January 13
The country's banks are prohibited from selling foreign currency. Rumors of
an imminent devaluation have led to a rush for hard currency. The currency halt
causes the value of, among other things, the US dollar to increase sharply in
the black market.
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