Educational Reforms in Turkmenistan: Good Framework, Bad Content?

Central Asia Policy Brief No. 11, September 2013

By Slavomír Horák

Turkmenistan’s education system has gone through considerable changes and shifts in the last few years, with ambiguous results.

The extension of elementary as well as university education, and increasing the number of students at universities both inside the country and abroad has meant that Turkmenistan has moved away from the first president’s legacy.

However, the heritage of the Türkmenbashy era still weighs heavily, and its negative tendencies could again destroy the small successes achieved unless the authorities implement real and not only illusory reforms.