Articles tagged with: Turkmen-AUCA crisis
The American University of Central Asia. Photograph from the internet. Click on it to go to the university's webiste.
Last September, neweurasia broke the news about Turkmenistan’s embargo against the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) and the Turkmen students who were caught in the middle. This year was looking set to be a repeat, but according to RFE/RL’s Turkmen service, it might have just gotten a bit sunnier, at least for a few of them:
The American University of Central Asia. Photograph from the internet. Click on it to go to the university's webiste.
Last September, neweurasia broke the news about Turkmenistan’s embargo against the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) and the Turkmen students who were caught in the middle. Well, this September’s not looking any better. From RFE/RL’s Turkmen service:
Turkmen officials are attempting to stop university students from returning to Kyrgyzstan to continue their studies in the wake of ethnic violence there, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service has learned.
Some 650 Turkmen students left Kyrgyzstan’s southern city of Osh in the wake of deadly clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in June. Most of them are from Turkmenistan’s eastern province of Lebap.
The students in Lebap are being summoned by local officials who demand they sign written statements vowing not to go back to Kyrgyzstan to continue their studies, some of those involved say. The students’ parents have asked the Education Ministry for an explanation for the actions but have received no reply.
One parent told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that the ministry officials told him they would not give any explanation because the students were not studying in Kyrgyzstan under a government-supported program.
Many of the parents have sent a letter to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov asking him to intervene on their behalf.
Last year, authorities in Turkmenistan barred hundreds of Turkmen students from returning to the Bishkek-based American University of Central Asia to continue their studies under the Turkmen-American Scholarship program. Many of them were eventually allowed to go to a university in Bulgaria.
By the way, neweurasia‘s Annasoltan has this to say about Turkmenistan’s response to the tragic violence in Kyrgyzstan:
Like the child in Andersen’s story, it is young Turkmen like these who can see through the propaganda at the horrible truth. Berdimuhammedov is naked to them for what he really is — a self-pandering dictator.
Photograph by Flickr user estevenson (CC-usage).
As a kid growing up in New York City, I remember the slogan of the 1010WINS radio channel: “You give us twenty-two minutes, we’ll give you the world.” It’s a cool slogan for a lot of reasons, one of which being how much it indicates the speed of the news cycle.
This weekend is a good example. In case you missed it, here are three of the big stories from Friday and Sunday:
(1) The Supreme Court of Tajikistan has launched a devastating lawsuit attack upon the country’s independent media. neweurasia‘s Alpharabius reports, explaining how it fits into a larger trend.
(2) Kazakhstan’s Minister of Justice has floated the idea of an amnesty for persecuted human rights defender Yevgenii Zhovtis. neweurasia‘s Adam reports.
(3) The government of Turkmenistan seems to have lifted its travel ban on at least some students who are enrolled in foreign universities. neweurasia‘s Annasoltan reports, exploring some reasons why for the abrupt turn-around in policy.
Photograph by Flickr user Night Owl City (CC-usage).
Good news! Turkmenistan’s government has finally given the green light to students enrolled at private foreign universities to continue their studies abroad, putting an end to six months of uncertainty. Since July, dozens of students have been barred from boarding foreign-bound planes.
Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch confirmed reports that some students left the country for Bulgaria a few days ago. But is it the end of the story and time to relax? Not quite yet, Denber told me.
A classroom of echoes. Image by Flickr user mamako7070 (CC-usage).
Editor’s note: As students around the world prepare for the academic year, those of Turkmenistan hoping to study abroad, particularly at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), have suddenly found themselves enemies of the state. neweurasia’s Orazdurdy has been covering the story as it develops. In this post Annasoltan gives informed remarks about the situation. (Click on the image to read more about the travel ban.)
How can we make sense of what’s been happening to Turkmenistan’s students? Let’s review the available evidence.
AUCA - photo taken from www.auca.kg
Turkmen border officials rejected several AUCA students in Ashgabat who were traveling with a group of other Turkmen students – the winners of a one-year academic exchange visit though the U.S. State Department’s Freedom Support Act Undergraduate program (FSAU). They were taken off Lufthansa airplane, while other students from the same group but not affiliated with AUCA, were allowed to board the plane and made it to final destination.
The program is funded by the U.S. State Department and administered by International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). Every year the program takes up to 12 freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Turkmenistan. Considering AUCA’s intensive English language program, Turkmen students from this university have always been in the list of program’s finalists. They would usually go home in May to stay with their families until mid August and then leave to their U.S. colleges. Seems like this year they will stay in Turkmenistan for a bit longer than planned.
In the meantime, Neweurasia has learned about new immigration rules, which now don’t require students studying overseas obtain any permission to leave. Except students studying in Kyrgyzstan! Those who study in Kyrgyz state universities can leave without any obstacles, but the same can’t be said about AUCA students.
“You won’t leave! Quit your studies at AUCA and look for something else in Russia or Romania,” – Turkmen Ministry of education’s official said to students at the recent meeting in the ministry.
Romania has introduced a quota program for students coming from Turkmenistan after presidents Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and Romania’s Trajan Basesku exchanged several official visits. Last year, according to Turkmen pro-governmental news Website www.turkmenistan.ru, 10 Turkmen students left for Ploiesti (Romania) to study at the University of Oil and Gas. All 10 students have made it through a strict selection committee, took Rukhnama examination, and were taken only in the university’s preparatory program.
“Who is going to take us to Romania? – AUCA students ask, – and who will reimburse us the money paid already for education, transportation and housing in Bishkek?”
While the students seek the answers to these questions, MobileTeleSystems (MTS) – Russian cellular operator in Turkmenistan – has blocked outgoing text messages on Kyrgyz Beeline and Megacom GSM providers.
“The Turkmen government has well prepared for this unannounced war with AUCA, – observers in Turkmenistan say, – and so far it is winning the war.”
AUCA students. Photo taken from www.auca.kg
This is what deputy minister of education told the parents of American University- Central Asia (AUCA) students at a meeting in the ministry held on August 18th. He also said the Turkmen government doesn’t need their liberal arts degrees. The official forgot that the Turkmen government doesn’t pay a penny for student’s education at AUCA.
Image by Flickr user Vassilis Galopoulo (CC-usage).
On August 12, dozens of students at Ashgabat airport were not allowed on board a plane heading to Almaty. They were traveling to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. According to a passenger who made it to Kazakhstan on that plane, two-thirds of the plane was empty.
This is the latest incident in a broader trend: hundreds of Turkmen students still cannot leave the country in pursuit of education abroad.
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