Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov has already taken action on a couple of his reform pledges.
First, he has extended compulsory education to ten years. Turkmenbashi had shortened it to nine. This will go into effect in September.
Second, he has not just reversed restrictions on the internet, he claims to be encouraging its spread.
Turkmenistan’s new president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, ordered the reversal of Niyazov’s ban on February 15, one day after his inauguration.
…
“Today, Internet cafes are starting to open in Ashgabat and other cities,” Berdymukhammedov said. “At this moment, we are working on a program to extend Internet access to every school.”
Of course, none of this is major. But these are some welcome steps.
Update: There are already pictures up at the government’s news page.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2974 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Registan.net, which he launched in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with private and government clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural and political factors shape risks and opportunities and how organizations can adjust their strategic and operational plans to account for these variables. Nathan is currently seeking research, analysis, and consulting opportunities. He can be contacted via Twitter or email.
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{ 2 comments }
Dear Nathan,
One cannot help wondering what they are going to do with all the surplus copies of the “Ruhnama”. An alternative measurement of material wealth by GDP per capita, could perhaps become a spiritual one – Ruhnama per capita…
Yours,
Vilhelm
I think they’ll need them for at least a little while. The book is still on the curriculum. With that extra year, they’re have more time to master it