English
THE INSTITUTE OF STATE, LAW AND DEMOCRACY OF TURKMENISTAN
Yazpolat KERIYEV,
Chairman of the Central
Council of the Youth Organization of Turkmenistan named after Magtymguly,
Deputy of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan,
Candidate of Technical Sciences
The policy pursued by the President of Turkmenistan for the comprehensive development of the state and society is based on the humanitarian principle “The State is for the People!” This is reflected in the reforms that cover all regions of the country and are being successfully implemented for the sake of a prosperous life for the people, in programs such as trade and economy, transport and communications, scientifc and technical, cultural and other areas. The achievement of these reforms to a qualitatively new level and the more effective service to the interests of the people rely on the potential of modern education and science.
In the current era, which is considered an era of scientifc and technological progress, scientifc achievements, digital technologies, and the intellectual level of society are today the main indicators determining the pace of economic development and the future of every country in the world. From this point of view, bringing the science and education systems to a qualitatively new level, increasing the effectiveness of scientifc research and technical developments, directing them to solving important problems of society and state life, actively involving young people in these activities, and supporting their creative initiatives are important tasks facing the scientifc community of our country.
In the successful implementation of these tasks, the annual scientifc competition among the youth of Turkmenistan, jointly organized by the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and the Central Council of the Magtymguly Youth Organization, is of particular importance. This scientifc competition, approved by the relevant Resolution of the President of Turkmenistan, opens up broad opportunities for the implementation of new scientifc ideas and innovative developments of young people in the national economy, and serves to direct their scientifc and creative potential to the sustainable development of the country. Such initiatives are fully consistent with the priority areas of the science and education strategy and guarantee the innovative future of the state. Because science and education are considered the driving force of all developments today.
In this regard, the comprehensive modernization of education and science systems, which are currently gaining increasing importance in the world, is one of the priorities of the state policy of Turkmenistan. Strengthening the existing potential in this area, the ability to create and transform scientifc research and innovative knowledge, the development of human capital, and the training of highly educated specialists are important conditions for the sustainable development of the country and its achievement of new heights. At the same time, a special place is given to young people with broad vision, great life prospects and a worldview, capable of putting forward fundamentally new and mutually acceptable principles in the development of multilateral negotiations on important issues of the present time. The creation of the necessary conditions for ensuring their rights is reflected in the national legislative system of our country. The legislation of Turkmenistan fully guarantees the socioeconomic, political rights and freedoms of youth.
Article 40 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan stipulates that the state creates conditions for the implementation of the rights and freedoms of youth and promotes their comprehensive development. It should also be noted that the Laws of Turkmenistan “On Education” (amended version), “On State Policy on Youth” (amended version), “On Innovation Work”, “On State Scientifc and Technical Policy”, “On the Legal Status of a Scientist”, “On Scientifc Institutions”, “On Science and Technology Parks”, “On Scientifc Intellectual Property” and other regulatory legal acts are in force, which ensure the implementation of the rights and freedoms of young people to education.
At the same time, in accordance with the rapidly changing requirements of the time, the continuous modernization of legislative acts in this area is one of the important tasks. Based on these needs, a new stage of work in this area began with the approval of the draft version of the Law of Turkmenistan “On State Policy on Youth” by Honorable President at the VII Meeting of the Magtymguly Youth Organization of Turkmenistan held on September 1, 2022. This Law, which defnes the goals, objectives, principles and main directions of the state policy on youth, as well as aims to increase state support for ensuring the rights and freedoms of young people and their development as full-fledged individuals, serves as a reliable legal basis for developing the intellectual and creative potential of young people. [1]
In paragraph 8 of Article 26 of the Law, in order to achieve continuity of education among young people and guide them to a profession, young men who have graduated from secondary education institutions are provided with the opportunity to participate in the entrance exams for higher vocational and secondary vocational schools, According to the Law of Turkmenistan "On Military Service", the possibility of temporarily postponing the term of conscription for military service is provided. This indicates that, along with ensuring the constitutional right of young people to receive education, a unifed system of legal guarantees for the protection of their rights and freedoms is being created.
The provision in paragraph 7 of Article 32 of the document stipulates that the preferential payment of income tax for young professionals who have graduated from an educational institution and have just been hired in accordance with the tax legislation of Turkmenistan is an effective opportunity to encourage young people to work. The fact that the age of young people is set at 35 years in the law creates a solid legal framework for the opportunities created for the young generation and their future.
In order to conduct work in this area on a strategic basis, the "Strategy of International Youth Cooperation of Turkmenistan for 2023-2030" was approved by the Resolution of the President of Turkmenistan on June 10, 2023. It is aimed at ensuring comprehensive development and strengthening of friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation of the youth of Turkmenistan with the youth of other countries. The main objectives of this Strategy are to create favorable conditions for active participation in socioeconomic, information-communication, cultural, scientifc-educational, intellectual, ecological, creative, humanitarian, sports, tourism and other areas of mutual cooperation. [2]
International cooperation in such areas as education, science, culture and sports, youth movement, as well as youth parliamentarism are the main components of the Strategy. In this regard, it is planned to develop youth scientifc diplomacy in the feld of international scientifc cooperation, support the participation of young scientists in international associations and initiatives to establish such associations in the country, hold international scientifc forums, scientifc conferences and scientifc competitions at the national and international levels in the country with the participation of young people of Turkmenistan and other countries.
In addition, the main directions of the Strategy’s implementation include developing cooperation with leading scientifc and technological centers of the world, developing and implementing research programs in exact and humanitarian sciences. This paves the way for young scientists of Turkmenistan and other countries to implement joint research projects on important issues of science, as well as creating a new system of encouraging young people to engage in scientifc research based on international experience. This in line with the priority areas of our country’s foreign policy, namely humanitarian and scientifceducational diplomacy, is evidence of its successful implementation.
Consistently implementing the policy of positive Neutrality based on the "Open Door" policy and the principles of broad international cooperation, Turkmenistan attaches great importance to strengthening and developing international relations, including cooperation in the educational sector. In order to train highly qualifed teachers, as well as to ensure the connection of all areas of vocational education, in accordance with the norms of international law and the state educational standard, the rules for continuing the program of higher vocational education in the corresponding specialty on the basis of secondary vocational education are being developed, as well as teachers with a broad outlook, highly qualifed teachers are being trained in pedagogical educational institutions.
A vivid example of this is the initiative to create a specialized English language school that meets international standards in the city of Arkadag, which is considered the city of youth. This school will not only take English language teaching to a new level in our country, but will also create broad conditions for Turkmen youth to enter the leading universities of the world, including the United States, and become internationally competitive specialists. In accordance with the valuable advice given by the National Leader during his recent working visit to Arkadag, equipping language and innovation rooms in accordance with the highest international standards will help our youth to master world languages. and will serve as a reliable gateway to the global scientifc space.
The formation of a single harmonious combination of a kindergarten for 320 children and a modernized school in the newly created “Education Complex” system is an excellent example of training highly qualifed young people, ensuring continuous education and upbringing. Guided by the principle that “an educated generation is the unshakable foundation of the state”, these modern scientifc centers will pave the way for our youth to fnd their worthy place in the intellectual space of the world. The fundamental improvement of educational institutions - modern schools and kindergartens - during the second phase of urban development is evidence of Turkmenistan's active integration into the international educational space and its vision for a sustainable future. The creation of such a modern educational environment enriches our country's international cooperation with a new meaning and content.
As is known, Turkmenistan aims to develop the national education system in accordance with the requirements of the time and achievements of positive world practice. Effective cooperation is increasingly developing with specialized agencies of the UN, other international organizations working in this feld, and with world countries. The division of education levels into groups in Turkmenistan is based on the international standard of the UNESCO Classifcation of Education. At the same time, the divisions into groups are carried out in accordance with the content of educational programs, their complexity, acquired knowledge and skills, requirements established for previous educational programs, conditions for the organization of educational services and methods of application.
In accordance with the innovative reforms being implemented at the current stage of our country's development, in order to provide all stages of education with high-quality electronic educational information, widely use the digital system, enrich the content of education provided in educational institutions, improve its quality and improve teaching methodologies, in September 2017 was adopted the "Concept for the Development of the Digital Education System in Turkmenistan". The document plays an important role in increasing the efciency of educational institutions, providing all stages of education with highquality electronic educational information, widely using digital resources, enriching the content of education in educational institutions, and ensuring its quality meets world standards.
The modernization of the material and technical base of educational institutions in the country, the creation of new higher education institutions, the construction of new buildings of existing higher education institutions demonstrate that the state guarantees the right of every citizen to receive education. In this regard, the presence of a sound legal framework for the education system is one of the important requirements of the time. Article 55 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan states: “Everyone has the right to education. General secondary education is compulsory, and everyone has the right to receive it free of charge in state educational institutions.” [3]
The right to education is one of the fundamental and inalienable constitutional rights of people living in Turkmenistan, which is a reflection in the Constitution of Turkmenistan of the generally recognized principles of international law, enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international legal instruments.
The main reason for defning the regulation of the education system and guaranteeing this right to all people as one of the main directions of state activity is that knowledge, along with science and culture, is the most important condition for the rapid development of society. Because the concept of “improvement of society” frst of all assumes that the individuals who make up society, that is, people, are spiritually and morally perfect, humane individuals. Because society is formed from the sum of the relationships that arise between people. The broader the consciousness of people who enter into hundreds of types of mutual relationships every day, the purer their morals and practices, the more pure and healthy their beliefs are, the more mutual respect, solidarity, justice, honesty, and principles prevail in their social relations. Thus, harmony and understanding are formed between the individual, society and the state.
The adoption of the revised version of the Law of Turkmenistan “On Education” on June 5, 2021 clearly confrms that the legislation on education in our country is being improved based on the modern requirements of the time. According to Article 1 of the Law, improving education as the basis for the spiritual, social, economic and cultural development of society is one of the priority directions of the country's development. Education is considered the basis of purposeful and systematic work on the upbringing and training of the younger generation, based on meeting the needs of the individual, society and the state. [4]
The Law includes such important tasks as ensuring and protecting the constitutional right of every person in Turkmenistan to receive education, ensuring that citizens of Turkmenistan receive comprehensive and fair high-quality education and training opportunities throughout their lives, and creating legal guarantees for the continuous functioning and development of the education system in Turkmenistan.
In general, under the wise leadership of the Head of State, the education and science systems of our country are achieving increasingly positive results both in terms of structure and in terms of the introduction of new innovative technologies into practice, and all necessary conditions for the younger generation to receive modern education are created. The national legislation of the country on education is harmoniously combined with the universally recognized norms of international law and fully guarantees the right of every person to receive education. This gives us every reason to confdently say that, as a result of the deeply thoughtout policy of the Honorable President, the state's education system will continue to be improved.
Bibliography