A meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission of Russia and Turkmenistan in the field of science and higher education was held in Ashgabat. The parties discussed the training of Turkmen citizens in Russian universities and the project of a joint Russian-Turkmen university.
More than 30.000 Turkmen students are now enrolled in Russian universities. The Russian government allots a certain quota each year for Turkmen students, and 250 places have already been reserved for the academic year 2022–2023. The same number of places are expected to be available in the following academic year.
The most popular areas of study among citizens of Turkmenistan are linguistics, economics, international relations, oil and gas, computer science and engineering, architecture, psychology, dentistry.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Natalia Bocharova stressed that the Russian side is ready to consider the possibility of increasing the number of qualified applicants from Turkmenistan for admission to Russian universities.
The parties also paid special attention to the issue of establishing a joint university in Turkmenistan. A letter with such an initiative from the Turkmen side was received by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia this year. Several meetings were held to develop mechanisms for the establishment of the Russian-Turkmen University, the Russian side prepared and sent a concept and an action plan for the implementation of the project in mid-October 2022.
The Turkmen side expressed a desire to train technical and medical specialists at the future university. The educational programs based on Russian standards will be implemented at the Russian-Turkmen University and a list of specialties and areas of higher education training approved by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science has been distributed to Turkmen colleagues.
It is assumed that at the initial stage of the creation of a joint university, coordinating universities will be appointed to provide organizational and methodological assistance from both sides.
In addition, a draft intergovernmental agreement on the establishment and operating conditions of the Russian-Turkmen University has been prepared. ///nCa, 17 November 2022