Education of the Future: Turkmenistan and UNESCO Strengthen Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation

On 28 August of this year, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan between Deputy Minister of Education A. Atayev and Director of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), Tao Zhan. The meeting was also attended by Tigran Yepoyan, UNESCO Regional Adviser on HIV and Health in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Tatyana Murowana, Programme Specialist on Artificial Intelligence and Media and Information Literacy for Teachers. From the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, representatives of relevant departments participated and presented the national priorities and initiatives in modernising the education system.

During the discussions, the political significance of strengthening Turkmenistan’s cooperation with UNESCO was underlined, reflecting the country’s strategic course towards the development of modern educational technologies and integration into international initiatives aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The parties discussed current areas of bilateral cooperation and prospects for its further expansion in the digitalisation of education, introduction of innovative technologies, and the professional development of teachers.

UNESCO proposed new areas of cooperation, including: development of educational infrastructure; teacher training with a focus on AI competences; the use of AI in assessment; the promotion of the concept of lifelong learning — including adult education programmes; and the introduction of intelligent bot systems in universities.

In addition, special attention was given to projects in the field of health and youth development, with UNESCO proposing to expand cooperation on initiatives aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among schoolchildren, strengthening parent–child relationships, and developing healthy living skills among young people.

The meeting confirmed a high level of trust and mutual interest in further deepening the partnership, aimed at creating an advanced digital educational environment, ensuring sustainable development, and improving the quality of education in Turkmenistan.