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DE RUEHAH #0880/01 1960318
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R 150318Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
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RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3714

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000880 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, ECA, IIP 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL KMDR KPAO OIIP TX
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION IN EDUCATION - BLESSING FOR SOME, CURSE FOR 
OTHERS? 
 
REF:  A) ASHGABAT 857 
B) ASHGABAT 808 
 
¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Corruption in higher education is pervasive and 
comes at a high cost to the integrity of the educational system, as 
well as a high cost to parents who are forced to borrow huge sums 
from family and friends in order for their children to pursue 
schooling.  Every year, during the admissions cycle, the government 
identifies one or more officials as scapegoats to show that it is 
serious about combating this problem, which Post estimates generates 
a minimum of $100 million USD yearly.  With the firing of the 
Minister of Education on July 3, this year is no exception. 
Creating more university slots for graduating seniors, paying 
education professionals a livable wage, and creating a transparent 
admission process would resolve this problem.  Unfortunately, 
officials at the highest levels are complicit in corruption, and no 
real reform is foreseeable because no one with the will, influence, 
and skills necessary to bring about change is dedicated to making 
this happen.  END SUMMARY. 
 
SUPERFICIAL CHANGES WITH NO REAL CONTENT 
 
¶3.  (SBU) After Berdimuhamedov came into power, certain changes were 
introduced in education such as extending the length of study at the 
secondary school and university levels, decreasing secondary school 
instructor workloads from 36 hours per week to 24 hours, increasing 
teacher salaries and vacation time, and re-establishment of graduate 
programs.  In addition, a lot of focus has been put on building 
infrastructure and bringing in computers and multimedia learning 
technology to newly-built schools.  But no attention is given to 
teacher training and curriculum reform, which comprise the content 
of education and are factors that will result in real change and 
ultimate success.  None of the people in charge of education are 
capable of instituting these reforms.  It appears that there is no 
intention or desire to do it from the top as well. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In addition to the damage wrought by the Niyazov regime 
and continued by the current regime, another serious issue continues 
to dominate the education process in Turkmenistan at all levels. 
President Berdimuhamedov fired several education officials on July 
3, including Minister of Education Muhammetgeldy Annaamanov and 
several rectors, in connection with bribery in the admissions 
process (Ref. A).  Following the firing of the rector of the Azadi 
World Language Institute, a professor and dean from the Institute 
said on television that that they willingly participated in a ring 
led by Institute Rector Ayna Kurbanniyazova, which collected 
$119,000 USD from eight applicants in summer of 2009. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) This particular case is one of many thousands that have 
taken and will continue to take place in Turkmenistan.  However, 
bribe amounts and the extent of bribery in education has steeply 
increased and indications show that this trend will continue. 
During Cabinet of Ministers meetings, Berdimuhamedov as well as 
Niyazov officially cited educational corruption as the reason for 
many dismissals of education officials.  Nevertheless, Turkmenistan 
has not made substantial efforts to stamp out this problem.  This 
issue is a subject of concern for many layers of the population and 
everyone openly talks about the amounts needed to procure a spot for 
one's child in school -- and the extent of it.  Meanwhile, the 
government and law enforcement bodies pretend to be unaware. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Bribery continues as the main criteria for securing 
admission to higher educational institutions in Turkmenistan. 
Securing admission on the basis of merit for one's child at an 
institution of higher learning, as well as at primary and secondary 
schools with decent reputations, is practically impossible.  In 
addition, paying for good grades is a common practice at both 
schools and universities.  The limited number of admission slots at 
Turkmen universities creates an atmosphere in which parents are 
prepared to pay bribes in order to obtain spots for their children 
in university.  In addition, officials and instructors commonly fall 
 
ASHGABAT 00000880  002 OF 003 
 
 
into bribe-taking as a means to supplement their low salaries.  The 
government continues to turn a blind eye to this open secret and 
pretends to fight it by regularly dismissing top officials. 
 
LACK OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES CREATES HUGE COMPETITION 
 
¶7.  (SBU) During the Soviet period, Turkmenistan had over 20,000 
places available to first-year university students, but after 
independence in 1992 university admission slots gradually decreased 
to fewer than 3,000 per 105,000 high school graduates annually. 
Beginning in 2007, this number rose by 30 percent to 3,900, which 
barely scratched the surface of creating the number of university 
spots needed for Turkmenistan's young people.  Deputy Chairman for 
Education, Health, Science, and Religion Hydyr Saparlyev announced 
at the recent July 3 meeting that 4,275 university slots, 1,698 
slots at vocational three-year colleges, and 2,700 slots in study 
abroad programs would be made available to first-year students. 
However, this increase still does not address the need to create 
enough educational opportunities for Turkmenistan's youth.  The 
still sharp reduction in places available for first-year students 
has resulted in an educational system in which less than four 
percent of high school graduates can attend university, and 
competition among applicants has increased to the point that only 
the wealthiest or best-connected applicants can gain access. 
 
MILLIONS INVOLVED IN SHADY BUSINESS OF EDUCATIONAL CORRUPTION 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Apart from the occasional firing or reprimand for 
"shortcomings," government officials continue to ignore educational 
corruption because of the large supplementary income they receive 
from this side business.  According to common local knowledge, the 
minimal bribe for university admission is $15,000 USD.  For 
vocational college admission, the minimum bribe is $5,000 USD. 
(NOTE:  These figures grow in relation to the prestige of the 
university or college, as well as the specialization the student is 
applying for.  The English Department at Azadi World Languages 
Institute and Turkmen State University are very desirable.  The Oil 
and Gas Department at the Polytechnic Institute is also prestigious. 
 Foreign languages, law, and international relations, economy, and 
business are also elite majors.  END NOTE.)  During this year's 
admission cycle, the overall minimum amount that parents will pay in 
bribes to Cabinet of Ministers officials, Ministry of Education 
officials, and rectors will equal about $100 million USD.  Taking 
into account that bribes can rise as high as $80,000-100,000 or more 
per student, this is a minimum figure. 
 
COLLUSION FROM THE TOP DOWN 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Turkmenistan's opaque higher education admissions system 
plays a part in creating an atmosphere ripe for corruption. 
According to a Presidential Decree of 2002, the Central Admission 
Committee headed by the Deputy Chairman for Education, Health, 
Science, and Religion and including representatives of the Academy 
of Science, the Minister of Education, and the rectors of all 
universities regulate all stages of the admissions process for 
Turkmenistan's universities.  The Central Admissions Committee 
authorizes each university to select its own admissions committee -- 
which the Ministry of Education approves -- to collect applications 
and conduct tests and interviews, including an oral examination on 
the Ruhnama, history of Turkmenistan, and the subject the applicant 
hopes to study.  The results of these oral exams, administered in 
Turkmen, are confidential -- and are not taped, leaving no proof of 
student performance.  The admissions committees also conduct 
interviews and entrance exams in the regions.  The maximum age for 
university applicants is 35, although preference is given to younger 
candidates.  Admissions committees consist of teachers and 
department heads, a vice-rector of each university, as well as 
representatives of the Ministry of Education's Higher Education 
Department and of the Academy of Science.  The nontransparent 
structure and lack of independent oversight of the admissions 
system, as well as the inclusion of top officials from the Deputy 
Chairman down, clearly confirms the magnitude and the complicity of 
officials involved in this process. 
 
ASHGABAT 00000880  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶9.  (SBU) There is little security in this bribe system for parties 
on either side, both parents and administrators.  Often securing a 
place for one's child involves so many intermediaries that the whole 
plan for a student's admission can fall apart if one intermediary in 
the chain cannot deliver what he or she promised.  The government 
can decide to make administrators public scapegoats, which can 
involve extended jail time.  This system has doubtless discouraged 
many students from attempting to continue studies after high school. 
 A higher bidder can outbribe a fellow student, and cause a loss of 
hundreds to thousands of dollars that educational officials will not 
repay -- and again leaves the student without a place at university. 
 Parents are left with no other choice than to borrow money from 
many family members and close friends, which they pay back over many 
years, creating a vicious circle that is economically inefficient, 
humiliating and destructive. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Russia 
created alternative educational opportunities for their talented and 
bright youth to obtain education abroad through government 
scholarship programs.  In addition, these countries significantly 
invested in education and science.  However, Turkmenistan continues 
to spend the state budget allocation for education almost 
exclusively on infrastructure.  No real reform is foreseeable due to 
the lack of transparency in educational admissions and a lack of 
administrators with the will, influence, and skills necessary to 
bring about change, as well as the lack of serious commitment on the 
part of the government to change social attitudes toward educational 
corruption.  Finally, university officials are loathe to surrender 
this income-generating opportunity without an adequate increase in 
livable wages.  This situation is worsening, and will become more 
difficult to turn around as time goes on.  END COMMENT. 
 
MILES