Turkmen Universities to Take 14.5% More Students this Academic Year

Ashgabat, 15 July 2007 (nCa) --- Universities and institutions of higher learning would accept 14.5% more students in the coming academic year starting September 2007. New disciplines and specializations are being introduced in most of the institutions.

The announcement came Friday during a meeting of the cabinet of ministers where Khydr Saparliev, deputy prime minister for education, gave a presentation.

He told that in at present 13218 students are studying in the universities and institutions of higher learning except the military institute and the military academy. The diploma- and certificate-level institutes have 3847 students.

In the academic year starting September 2007, universities and institutions of higher learning would accept 3715 students; this is 540 more than fresh admission for last year. It represents 14.5% increase in seats in the institutions of higher learning except the police academy and military institute.

Police academy, military institute and the newly commissioned military academy would accept 940 cadets in the coming academic year. This is 175 more than the intake in the previous year. Number of cadets in the military institute would be decreased but it would be more than offset by acceptance of the first batch of cadets in the military academy. The military academy would actually train officers for all the law enforcement except police.

Currently there are 17 universities and institutes of higher learning and 19 schools/ colleges of diploma or certificate level in Turkmenistan. Most of them are going to introduce new specializations and disciplines from the coming academic year.

The state university named after Makdumguly will accept 600 students this time, 100 more than the previous year. The university will open a new department to train the journalists.

The institute of languages named after Azady would accept 40 additional students this year. The institute will introduce a full course for Japanese language and the first batch will consist of 10 students.

The agriculture university will take 400 students – 50 more than the previous year. The new disciplines being introduced in the agriculture university are agricultural economy, accounting and audit for agriculture. Moreover, the university will again start accepting students from metropolitan Ashgabat, a practice that was discontinued since 1998.

Turkmen polytechnic institute will accept 150 more students this academic year, bringing the total number of fresh entrants to 600. The increase has come on demand from the ministries of oil and gas and mineral resources, energy and industry, construction and building materials. 

Institute of transport and communication will accept 54 more students, of them 46 will go for three new specializations that are being introduced from this academic year.

Institute of national economy will offer 50 more seats to the applicants.

National institute of sports and tourism will double the number of fresh students, bringing the total number for this academic year to 100.

Seyidi pedagogical institute and state institute of culture will introduce English language and literature as a separate subject.

The military institute will accept 530 students, 85 less than previous year because the traffic police and firefighting department have been transferred to the ministry of interior. On the other hand, the number of cadets in the police academy will be increased by 50, bringing the total number of new batch to 200.

The newly commissioned military academy will start with the first batch of 210 cadets.

Saparliev informed that 240 students have been selected for higher education abroad.