Some Turkmen Students still left at Home

It seemed like the State Department managed to guarantee for some of the Turkmen students at AUCA the continuation of their studies after all. New reports had it that a group of fellows of the ACCELS program were going to be send to the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG). Many of the students who used to study at the AUCA receive grants from the American Council and they now hoped to profit from an agreement between the Turkmen Ministry of Education and this dedicated organization. Yesterday, however, the ‘Times of Central Asia’ published a short report, saying that the ACCELS’ office in Ashgabat did not receive exit permission for the group of 61 students. ToCA goes on and reports on rumors indicating that one can get his or her name deleted from the list produced by the Turkmen Ministry of Education entailing the names of those students who are restricted from leaving the country. All they have allegedly to do is to pay 2000 US$.

The whole story ones more sheds light on the poor fate of those students who were preparing themselves at the end of summer to leave for AUCA in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to resume their studies . First rumors that the Turkmen state might cause problems appeared in late July. They proved to be truth in August, when the students were stopped at the airport before entering the planes and their parents summoned to the officials. Representatives from the Ministry of Education were frank in telling the shocked parents that their sons and daughters are blacklisted and won’t leave the country under no circumstances.

Since August new details surfaced confirming the harsh stance of the Turkmen authorities on this issue. One representative of the Ministry simply justified the action with reference to the fact that Turkmenistan has no need in liberal arts graduates. Step by step the Turkmen authorities allowed students enrolled at other universities abroad to leave the country. The fate of the AUCA students remained undecided, turning even worse when rumors circulated in the (Internet) public that parents whose sons and daughters had been staying in Bishkek over the summer were pressured to ensure their kids’ return to Turkmenistan.

Only by intervention of the US Embassy in Ashgabat things moved a little bit. The last news were filling at least some students minds with hope, since ACCELS promised them a transfer to AUGB. Now this opportunity is lost again(?). So far I haven’t heard of anybody arriving in Bulgaria. Newest  rumors say they might be transfered to a University in St. Petersburg …

Talking about potential profiteers from the ACCELS initiative one should not forget about those students, who managed to enter AUCA with help of families’ support. Not all Turkmen students were eligible for the programs of the US Department and some simply didn’t manage to apply. In such cases only home-based support could guarantee access to AUCA once the application was successful and the fee needed to be paid. These students are on no list and cannot hope for the assistance of ACCELS or the US Embassy. They are left alone and can now start to reorient and start thinking on how to repay the money they spent on education while studying abroad. Put shortly: what the Turkmen authorities are doing here is nothing less than a crime. It’s that simple!