Kent, Ohio, October 2, 2024 – As part of the official visit of the delegation of the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan to the United States, a productive online meeting was held between Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan Azat Atayev and representatives of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): Vice President for Recognition Loretta S. Waldron and Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis Michelle Claville. The meeting was also attended by First Secretary of the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the United States Shohrat Pirmuhammedov, Vice Rector of the International University for Humanities and Development Nurmuhammet Shyhlyev, Vice Rector of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Begench Matliyev.

The main topic of the meeting was cooperation in the field of internationalization of the accreditation system of Turkmenistan and the possibility of introducing best practices used in the international accreditation of educational programs.

As Vice President for Recognition Loretta S. Waldron noted in her opening remarks, CHEA actively works not only with educational institutions, but also with accreditation agencies around the world, which makes it possible to develop high-quality accreditation systems that meet international standards. 

During the meeting, Deputy Minister A. Atayev informed CHEA representatives about the work being carried out in Turkmenistan under the leadership of the Esteemed President to improve the higher educational system. In particular, since 2022, Turkmenistan has joined the Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in the European Region, and work is underway to develop higher education standards in accordance with international requirements.

The prospects and procedures for joining the higher education accreditation system of Turkmenistan to the International Quality Group of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA International Quality Group - CIQG) were also discussed.

CIQG unites organizations and experts working in the field of international quality assurance in education. Membership in CIQG provides an opportunity to participate in global initiatives to improve the quality of education. CIQG offers its members access to analytical documents and guidelines on accreditation issues, and also allows them to exchange experiences with colleagues from different countries.

CHEA representatives shared information on the procedure for obtaining recognition of accreditation agencies, which is an international quality mark. This recognition helps accredited universities to graduate specialists whose diplomas are recognized in the international labor market.

The main aspects of the cooperation under discussion include:

- Turkmenistan expressed interest in studying the experience of CHEA to develop mechanisms and requirements for quality assurance in higher education. It was proposed to hold joint seminars and meetings, which will allow integrating international standards into the accreditation process of Turkmen universities.

- An important part of the cooperation will be training programs for teachers and administrative staff of universities in Turkmenistan, aimed at introducing international quality standards into the educational process.

- Studying the requirements and procedures for obtaining recognition of accreditation agencies by CHEA, which will be a sign of international quality.

The parties discussed the prospects for using such programs as Study in USA, SUSI and IVLP, which can serve as a platform for expanding cooperation and training specialists in the field of international accreditation and quality assurance of education.

Following the meeting, the parties expressed a mutual desire to continue cooperation to create a sustainable and effective accreditation mechanism that will meet international standards and ensure a high level of training of specialists in Turkmenistan.

The Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan.