On 29 August 2025 Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Education, together with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), convened the International Conference on the Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals for Education in Ashgabat. Senior government officials, university leaders, representatives of international organisations, and education technology platforms participated.
Participants presented a draft strategy for the development of AI in education and identified competencies required for teachers and students to work effectively with AI. Focus areas included development of education management information systems, improving teachers’ digital literacy, and adapting AI technologies to Turkmenistan’s specific conditions.
The conference builds on a 2024-2025 UNESCO IITE Cooperation Roadmap for the digital transformation of Turkmenistan’s higher education institutions, developed with Chinese university experts.
Who it affects: Teachers and students in Turkmenistan’s higher education institutions; Ministry of Education officials responsible for curriculum policy.
What is notably missing: The AI in education strategy remains a draft; no binding curriculum requirement, teacher training mandate, or funded implementation plan has been enacted. Turkmenistan has no publicly announced national AI governance body or regulatory framework for AI.