ASHGABAT (TCA) — As Turkmenistan’s economy is experiencing a downturn due to decreased revenues from natural-gas exports, the country’s public sector staff is to be reduced by 30 percent and some kindergartens closed down starting from the new year, the independent foreign-based website Chronicles of Turkmenistan reported.
All Turkmen organizations and agencies funded from the state budget, including in the oil and gas sector, have received orders from higher authorities to cut their staff by 30 percent starting from 1 January 2018.
Secondary schools are the exception. It is not planned that teaching staff will be downsized, but school principals have been instructed to send to pension those teachers who have reached retirement age. Such requirements had been repeatedly voiced in the past, but the administration of educational establishments tried to retain experienced teachers as the most competent staff members.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education has decided to close down some kindergartens.
The Chronicles of Turkmenistan has previously reported that, owing to a tenfold increase in the fees charged by pre-school educational establishments, the number of children in kindergartens had dropped significantly, and public sector employees were forced to take their children to kindergartens under the threat of dismissal.
Some of the teachers at the kindergartens which are scheduled to be closed down will be transferred to other pre-school educational establishments and the remaining teachers will be dismissed, Chronicles of Turkmenistan correspondents report.