Languages - The Times Of Central Asia

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Turkmenistan and UK Strengthen Cooperation in Education

The Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan hosted a meeting between Deputy Minister Azat Ataev and Sarah Chidgey, Regional Export Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to discuss prospects for educational cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UK. Ms. Chidgey shared insights into the UK's experience in delivering quality education, citing successful examples in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where British universities, such as the University of Westminster, have actively sought to expand partnerships. During the meeting, the participants explored opportunities for British universities to offer educational services in Turkmenistan, including the accreditation of academic institutions to enhance secondary and higher education. Chidgey announced plans to hold the Turkmen-British Trade and Industry Council early next year, with educational cooperation set to be a key topic. The British delegation also expressed its readiness for more in-depth discussions at the World Education Forum, held annually in London. Ataev expressed interest in implementing the proposed initiatives and supported organizing webinars for Turkmen specialists. These webinars will focus on introducing Turkmen specialists to British educational standards and accreditation procedures and enhancing education quality. He emphasized that particular attention would be given to studying critical aspects of the British educational system to facilitate their successful adaptation and implementation in Turkmenistan. Both sides expressed confidence that this partnership would contribute to developing Turkmenistan's education system and creating new opportunities for students and teachers. In the long term, it is expected to support their integration into the global educational community. Great Britain actively cooperates with Central Asian countries in the field of education: Kazakhstan has the Kazakh-British Technical University, founded in 2001, which offers programs in partnership with British universities, and British universities are opening branches in Uzbekistan, giving local students access to British education. The British Council also runs the region's English language training and teacher development programs. In 2024, the British Foreign Secretary announced a new initiative to promote English in Central Asia by giving teachers access to online resources with local content.

Education Russia Legislation Government Languages CIS

Uzbekistan Ratifies Agreement to Establish CIS Russian Language Organization

Uzbekistan has ratified an agreement to establish an international organization in Russia under the auspices of the CIS. The agreement was signed at the CIS Heads of State summit in Bishkek on October 13, 2023. The organization's goals and objectives include supporting high-quality Russian education, facilitating the training of teaching and research staff in “Russian Language and Literature” and “Russian as a Foreign Language,” and creating a personnel reserve of specialists in this field. In addition, the organization will strengthen comprehensive, mutually beneficial cooperation between the CIS countries in supporting and promoting the Russian language as a language of interstate communication. Its activities will rely on friendship, good neighborliness, interethnic harmony, trust, and mutual understanding. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian is the second official language. In Tajikistan, it is called the “language of interethnic communication.” However, it does not have an official status in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. More than 90% of Kazakhstanis know Russian to some degree, while 20% of the population considers it their native language. Meanwhile, those figures for Turkmenistan are 40% and 12% respectively. In Kyrgyzstan, about 44% know Russian and 5% consider it their native language; in Uzbekistan, it is about 50% and 2.7%; and in Tajikistan, 55% and 0.3%.

Organization of Turkic States Latin-Based Alphabet Cultural Heritage Languages Turkic Alphabet

Adoption of Latin-Based Common Turkic Alphabet

The Turkic Academy has announced that the Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission is to adopt a Latin-based Common Turkic Alphabet consisting of 34 letters. At a meeting in Baku (Azerbaijan) on September 9-11, the Commission finalized its two-year development of a proposed standard alphabet for Turkic languages in which each letter in represents different phonetic sounds in Turkic languages. Emphasizing its historic significance, the Turkic Academy stated that the development of the Common Turkic Alphabet, first proposed by scientists in 1991, promotes mutual understanding and cooperation among the Turkic peoples while preserving their linguistic heritage. Based in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Turkic Academy is an international organization established under the Organization of Turkic States. Founding member states include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye, with Hungary and Uzbekistan joining as observers in 2018 and 2022, respectively. The Organization of Turkic States currently comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with Hungary and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as observers, was founded in 2009 to foster comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. The alphabet issue in post-Soviet Turkic-speaking countries dates back to 1929, when the Soviet government replaced traditional Arabic-based alphabets used by Muslim minorities in the Soviet Union with Latin-based national alphabets. In 1940, the Latin alphabet was replaced with Cyrillic, used for the Russian language. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan switched to Latin-based alphabets, while Uzbekistan has used both Latin and Cyrillic alphabets since 1992. In 2017, Kazakhstan's then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered the government to develop a Latin-based alphabet for the Kazakh language. The switch, initially planned for 2025, was then postponed till as late as 2031. Citing the complexity of a transition from the Cyrillic to a Latin-based alphabet, in June 2022, Nazarbayev's successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that linguistic reform should not be rushed. Kyrgyzstan is the only post-Soviet Turkic-speaking nation committed to the use of the Cyrillic alphabet. Talk about switching from Cyrillic to Latin in post-Soviet Central Asia has always irritated Moscow, which considered such moves by the former Soviet republics as a means of distancing themselves from Russian influence.

Education Languages Language Teaching TV

Tajikistan to Launch Foreign Language TV Channel

On September 1, in a speech dedicated to "Knowledge Day,' Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered the creation of a TV channel specializing in teaching children foreign languages. In his emphasis on the the need for a comprehensive approach to children's development, the president highlighted the importance of studying sciences, crafts, moral values, modern technologies, and mastering foreign languages. With regard to the latter, special attention will be paid to Russian and English, as well as other foreign languages, to better prepare young people for the modern challenges and demands of both domestic and foreign labor markets. The President also noted the importance of adapting educational programs to meet the current and future needs of these markets. The creation of a TV channel dedicated to teaching foreign languages is part of a broader government strategy to improve the country's educational standards and integration into the global community. Several languages are spoken in Tajikistan. Tajik (a form of Persian) is recognized as the official language, while Russian is recognized as an interethnic language. Uzbek is the third most commonly spoken language and minority languages include Kyrgyz, Yagnob, Parya, and various forms of Pamiri. The most popular foreign languages amongst students include English and Chinese.

Russian Influence Language Languages CIS International Relations Education Russia

With the Russian Language Waning in Central Asia, Will Other Languages Replace It?

Russian is still the most widespread foreign language in Kazakhstan, though its role is declining there, and across Central Asia in general. At the same time, the people of the region have been slow to learn other languages, in part due to economic factors such as slowing globalization, according to the Kazakhstani political analyst Zamir Karazhanov, who is head of the Kemel Arna Public Foundation. The language of cities Since declaring independence in 1991, all the counties of Central Asia have made promoting their national languages a priority. But foreign languages, which link the region with the rest of the world, have also historically been seen as critical. In practice, however, the study and use of foreign languages other than Russian is not widespread. The Russian language is losing its prominence in Kazakhstan as the number of ethnic Russians declines. According to official statistics, as of January 1, 2024, Russians made up 14.89% of the country’s population, down from close to 40% in 1989. Nevertheless, thanks to the education system and Kazakhstan’s proximity to Russia, the level of proficiency in Russian remains high. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian is a second official language. In Tajikistan, it is called the “language of interethnic communication”. In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, however, it does not have an official status. More than 90% of Kazakhstanis know Russian to some degree, while 20% of the population considers it their native language. Meanwhile, those figures for Turkmenistan are 40% and 12% respectively. In Kyrgyzstan, about 44% know Russian and 5% consider it their native language; in Uzbekistan, it is about 50% and 2.7%; and in Tajikistan, 55% and 0.3%. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about the need to preserve the Russian language in Kazakhstan, and the unacceptability of language-based discrimination. Last year, he unveiled the International Russian Language Organization, established by the CIS Heads of State Council. “The new organization is open to all countries and, of course, very relevant from the point of view of global humanitarian cooperation,” explained Tokayev, while underlining that measures to promote the Russian language in the Eurasia region and elsewhere are congruous with the trend of strengthening national identities. “Kazakhstan will continue the policy of bolstering the status of the state language of Kazakh,” Tokayev said at the time. Today, Kazakhstan has many Russian-language media, while Russian remains the lingua franca at meetings among post-Soviet countries. Even though Russian is concentrated in big cities, all Kazakhstanis receive a significant amount of western and other foreign news from Russian sources. “Russian is spoken in most of Kazakhstan. In the biggest city, Almaty, communicating in Russian is not a problem. But, if you move 30-50 km outside the city, it gets harder to speak it. Russian is the language of cities and the language of interethnic interaction,” the political analyst Karazhanov told The Times of Central Asia. “Of course, the number of native speakers of the Kazakh language is growing, and the number of Russian speakers is declining, but Kazakh...

Languages

Kyrgyzstan Proposes To Fine People For Speaking Substandard Kyrgyz

Kyrgyzstan's National Commission on State Language is proposing to introduce fines for people working in certain jobs if they do not speak Kyrgyz well enough. It has submitted the corresponding bill for public discussion. The law "On State Language" sets out a list of people who are obliged to know the state language, and use it while performing their official duties -- be they in socio-cultural, educational, or other professional spheres. The National Commission proposes that people working in certain professions must speak Kyrgyz at an average (B2) level if they are ethnic Kyrgyz, and at least the basic level (A2) if they are a member of another ethnic group. Foreign citizens living in the republic, or intending to obtain immigrant status, should speak at least elementary (A1) Kyrgyz. The draft bill reads: "It is proposed to introduce a new article into the Code of Offenses, according to which violation and non-compliance with the requirements of the legislation on language entails a fine of 5,000 som ($57) for individuals and 17,000 som ($194) for legal entities. In addition, the National Commission proposes to increase fines for texts in advertising and other visual information that do not meet the standards of literary Kyrgyz language.