UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Immunization rates in Turkmenistan for the most common childhood diseases are 97 per cent or above, and universal salt iodization has made Turkmenistan the first country in Central Asia to achieve optimum iodine nutrition. More than half of Turkmenistan’s maternity hospitals are certified as “Baby-Friendly,” accounting for about 60 per cent of all deliveries. But only 55 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water; in rural areas, the number is 24 per cent. 

Issues facing children in Turkmenistan

• Acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea are the leading causes of infant mortality.
• Hospitals lack sufficient obstetric supplies and emergency medicines.
• Less than half of young people know how to avoid HIV infection.
• Because teenagers are expected to help with agricultural work, the school year is only 150 days long. The curriculum is unique to Turkmenistan, and omits or gives short shrift to basic core subjects.
• Enrolment in universities has declined from 40,000 in the 1990s to 3,000 in 2004. Contributing to this drop is a requirement that students work for two years before attending college. (Turkmenistan’s high unemployment rate makes this prerequisite particularly onerous.) All education degrees obtained abroad since 1993 have been nullified.