Chairman of the upper house of Parliament of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met Tuesday (14 Jun) with representatives of student youth. The main item on the agenda was the discussion of the updated version of the Law “On the State Youth Policy of Turkmenistan”. The renewed law will be called the Law on Youth.
The meeting featured speeches by representatives of the student youth of the Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly, the Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A.Niyazov, the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management, the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction, and the Military Institute.
During his remarks Arkadag Berdimuhamedov announced the following amendments to be made to the new law. They are aimed at empowerment of young people in line with new realities of the social and economic life of the country:
- Proposals will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers on studying the issue related to the transfer to the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan of the powers of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy in the field of youth policy. This amendment is aimed at the formation of erudite, educated, highly moral youth with a broad worldview, possessing advanced technologies, committed to national principles, as well as the development of a state mechanism for providing support to youth that meets international standards.
- Broadening the scope of educational work aligned with national principles, of an agitation and explanatory nature, aimed at instilling in young people a strong love for their homeland and a sense of national pride.
- Support for youth’s involvement in environmental projects and restoration of historical sites, encouraging their interest in historical and cultural heritage, environmental protection through the development of the domestic tourism system.
- Formation of innovative technology management skills among young people, as well as increasing their love for sports, national values, the improvement of the Internet and the incorporation of other modern trends into the youth environment.
- Development of a mechanism for the development of entrepreneurship among young people (if young people constitute 75 percent of staff, an enterprise will be called a youth enterprise and will be eligible for state support benefits).
- Tax benefits for young people. The new law will provide for the procedure for preferential payment of income tax by young specialists who have just been hired after graduation in the first year of the period of employment in the amount of 50 percent, in the second and third years – 25 percent.
- Postponement from military service. The amendment provides for a temporary postponement from military for school graduates. They will be given a one-time opportunity to enter higher and secondary vocational educational institutions in order to ensure continuity of training.
According to Arkadag Berdimuhamedov, the final version of the Law on Youth will be drafted after members of parliament, representatives of public associations visit the most remote villages throughout the country and hold meetings with young people and honorary elders All the collected proposals will be submitted to the lower house of Parliament.
The Law of Turkmenistan “On State Youth Policy” was adopted in 2013 with following amendments dated March 2017. Turkmenistan is also implementing the State program in the field of state youth policy of Turkmenistan for 2021-2025. ///nCa, 15 June 2022