‘We have 3,000 students at agricultural universities and after graduating, none of them go to work in farms. This is not what we need,’ said Sapamurat Niyazov, President for Life of the autocratic regime of Turkmenistan. During his announcement at a the agriculture university of Turkmenistan on 26 January 2006, he ordered that school graduates must work on state farms under the guidance of their teachers in order to be allowed admission to higher education institutions. According to Niyazov, this decision will improve students’ ability to understand their university subjects. The decision applies not only to students of agriculture but also to students of technical universities, who are already working in state-owned factories, where they are paid only an amount equal to their stipend. This decree states that each student must have two years of work experience in their field to qualify for admission to university, where they will study only one years before graduating. Niyazov has ordered the decision, officially accepted in 2002, to be implemented from this agriculture session.

According to experts, this move will close the doors to higher education for the majority of students, some of whom managed to pay a bribe of thousands of dollars for admission to universities that themselves costs, between four to six thousand US dollars, according to the Turkmen Initiative Foundation, depending on the subject and the university. Taking these facts into account, it is hard to see how many students could afford to pay this amount in a country where, according to the CIA’s World Fact Book 2004, 58% of the population live below the poverty line and the average salary is only US$30-40 per month.

Whatever the state’s aims, this decision has been seen by many western experts as a way of controlling young people at any price, even if it means leading the nation into the dark and filling the country with people who will be unable to think at a professional standard or to meet the challenges of the day. Some independent experts also believe that by doing so, the government is trying to find a cheap and loyal labor force to work on state property under official control and guidelines, in a sector where farmers were no longer interested in working because of the difficulties in getting paid.

Top Turkmen officials hold a different view, claiming that ‘this unique practice will help students to understand their profession more deeply.’ But whatever the official aims, there is no doubt that the impact of this decision will be seen for a long time as it lowers once again the standard of education. In the name of reforming the education sector, the Turkmen government had previously reduced the length of school education to only 9 years. During these 9 years of education, each year the majority of children spend their time preparing to perform in welcoming ceremonies for the president and holiday ceremonies, which take up around thirty days a year. Turkmenistan is a colorful country, where people celebrate the birthday of the President and his parents, the days of their death, the day of Rukhnama (a book allegedly written by the President) as official holidays with colorful pageants. The educational reform measure of forcing Rukhnama into the curriculum has been harshly criticized by the international community. The book has been officially promoted as a basis for all education, from elementary schools to universities, included in the curricula for politics, history, science, geography and medicine. Some sources even say English literature is being taught from the English translation of this book.

This has all led many international organizations to express deep concern over Turkmenistan’s education policy, accusing Turkmen authorities of politicizing the education sector. There are also worries that this decision may increase corruption in the education sector. Despite hardships, if someone is still willing to send their children to university, they will, if possible, try to bribe related officials to not send their children to the farms.

As a result of decisions like this, after fourteen years of independence, this gas rich country – owning the world’s fifth largest gas reserves – is forced to import even middle-level experts to work in its oil-fields due to a lack of experienced professionals in the country.