Turkmenistan develops educational cooperation with Petronas to advance human capital

On April 22, 2026, the Minister of Education of Turkmenistan, J. Gurbangeldiýew, held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to Turkmenistan, Mohd Suhaimi Bin Ahmad Tajuddin, as well as with a delegation from “Petronas Carigali (Turkmenistan)” and the Petronas University of Technology.

During the talks, expanding cooperation in training highly qualified specialists for the oil and gas sector was identified as a key priority. The parties discussed opportunities to enhance collaboration between vocational secondary schools and higher education institutions with educational establishments and research centers under Petronas.

Representatives of Petronas, which operates in more than 100 countries worldwide, emphasized that in cooperation with partner countries they aim to contribute not only to the development of natural resources but also to the advancement of human capital. The primary goal highlighted was the establishment of long-term partnerships through the sharing of accumulated experience. Detailed information was also provided about Petronas educational programs, including vocational training and short-term professional development courses.

In particular, opportunities for cooperation were discussed with such educational institutions as Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, the Petronas Institute of Petroleum Technology, and the “Alam” Maritime Academy, as well as with educational centers including the “Petronas Leadership Centre”, “Yayasan PETRONAS”, and “Petrosains”.

It should be noted that Turkmen students are regularly sent to study at the Petronas University of Technology through scholarship programs offered by the company. Within the framework of the agreement between the Yagshygeldi Kakayev International Oil and Gas University and Petronas, as well as its University of Technology, faculty members and students are annually sent to the Petronas University of Technology for advanced training.

As part of the first official visit of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, to Malaysia in 2024, a number of documents were signed between higher education institutions of the two countries. This clearly demonstrates the consistent development of educational cooperation between the two countries.