On February 20, a "Direct Talk" format meeting was held at the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan. Government representatives, the UN, and UNICEF discussed a strategic step for the education system — accelerating access to preschool education for all children in the country.

The event was attended by heads of the ministries of education, finance and economy, relevant departments, and the National Institute of Education. The international side was represented by UN Resident Coordinator Dmitry Shlapachenko, UNICEF Representative Jalpa Ratna, as well as international experts who joined via digital communication.

The main focus was on models that will make quality pre-school preparation accessible to everyone:

• From September 2026: A pilot free pre-school preparation program is planned to be launched. It will last one year and involve half-day sessions.

• From September 2027: The program is planned to be gradually expanded to the entire country, using the results of the pilot launch and sustainable funding mechanisms.

• Parental support: Participants discussed the outcomes of family support programs and ways to integrate this support into the state system on a permanent basis.

Investments in early childhood development are recognized as the most effective investment in the future. New initiatives allow every child, regardless of their place of residence, to receive quality preparation for school on equal terms. The introduction of free programs will significantly reduce the financial burden on the family budget, and the systematic approach will provide methodological support for teachers and modern monitoring of results.

Following the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to the development of early childhood development and support for parents. The participants agreed to continue joint work on the implementation of the discussed initiatives and the preparation of practical steps for their introduction into the national education system.

ORIENT