UNICEF OFFICIAL DISCUSSES TURKMEN RELUCTANCE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000768

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019
TAGS: PREL EAID SOCI TX
SUBJECT: UNICEF OFFICIAL DISCUSSES TURKMEN RELUCTANCE TO
SUBMIT EDUCATION STATISTICS

Classified By: Charge Richard Miles, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A UNICEF official said that Turkmenistan
lacks the motivation to supply education statistics necessary
to be considered for Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
funds. In addition, Turkmenistan's gross domestic product
per capita income most likely puts it in the middle-income
country category, making it ineligible for MCC funds.
UNICEF's strategy of including training-of-trainers at the
end of government training programs both legitimizes UNICEF's
work and adds sustainability. In Turkmenistan, UNICEF
focuses on attaining international standards, not "soft
issues" like national ideology, curriculum reform, education
quality, and human capacity that are serious problems in the
country. Post has experienced the same reluctance from the
government to provide wide access to educational
institutions, and concurs with the interlocutor's opinion
that Turkmenistan will not attempt to qualify for Millennium
Challenge Corporation funding in the foreseeable future. END
SUMMARY.

THE PROBLEM WITH MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE FUNDS AND TURKMENISTAN


2. (C) Deputy Representative of UNICEF's Turkmenistan
Office, Abdul Alim (strictly protect throughout),said in a
meeting on June 17 that Turkmenistan has no interest in
taking advantage of the Millennium Challenge Fund. He
believes that officials are reluctant to comply with the
Fund's requirement to supply education statistics because the
country is in "denial" about the state of education. Also,
he said Turkmenistan's issues are not enrollment or
completion statistics, but rather the quality of education.
UNICEF is concerned about national ideology, for example the
Ruhnama, and not numbers, and they are reluctant to let
outsiders come in. Soft issues such as curriculum, quality
of education, and human capacity are areas that need
intervention, which the government views as interference. He
added that Turkmenistan's gross domestic product per capita
income probably makes it a middle-income country, and that it
is on the way to meeting the Millennium Development Goals by

2015.

UNESCO DOES NOT RECEIVE STATISTICS, EITHER


3. (C) Alim said that many professionals from Turkmenistan's
education sector have been sent to UNESCO workshops on report
writing -- and are always instructed to include statistics in
reports -- but that reports instead contain only information
on presidential policy and planned reforms. Alim said that
"no one has the leverage to get numbers out" of the
government because the government has no reason or motivation
to release them. His office practices a strategy of
integrating training-of-trainers with government training
programs, and for example, tacks on an extra day at the end
for UNICEF material. He said that this gives UNICEF training
legitimacy and encourages sustainability, because the
government can reeat the training on its own at a later time
if it feels that the program was valuable. Alim said that
Turkmen officials and donors have very different expectations
regarding results and outcomes from the many training
programs provided by donors for government officials. The
government views training as a way to reward employees and
treats it as a sort of "patronage system," while donors
expect long-term results.

UNESCO FOCUSES ON INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS


4. (C) Alim had just returned from a UNICEF-sponsored trip
to the United States with officials from the Ministries of
Education, Healthcare and Medical Industry, Economy and
Development, and Finance as well as the Institute for Human
Rights and Democracy. He said that the study tour -- on
"teacher models for child-friendly activities" aimed toward
universalizing early childhood development practices in
Turkmenistan -- was successful. Alim stated that UNICEF is

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pragmatic regarding expectations on how far UNICEF can press
for change in Turkmenistan's education system. He said that
UNICEF has the responsibility of persistently discussing
international standards with the government, and acknowledged
that the UN's status as neutral gives UNICEF leverage to
engage with the government in a different way than individual
countries can.


5. (SBU) COMMENT: Post,s own contact with the Ministry of
Education has shown the same reluctance of sharing
information or approving projects that would be extensive or
require significant access to schools and universities. Post
concurs with this interlocutor's opinion that Turkmenistan
will not qualify for Millennium Challenge Corporation funding
in the foreseeable future. END COMMENT.
MILES