The Ministry of Education received materials from the project "Safe Migration in Central Asia"
Representatives of the "Safe Migration in Central Asia" (SMICA) program in Turkmenistan, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (UN CTU), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized the ceremony Transfer of UNODC training materials to the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International University of Humanities and Development, the Makhtumkuli Turkmen State University, the City Hall of Ashgabat, the Academy of Public Service under the President of Turkmenistan, the Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, specialized educational school No. 21.
The development of textbooks handed over to the Turkmen side was carried out in the following areas:
— organized crime, "br" — fight against corruption, "br" — ethics and honesty, "br" — prevention of terrorism and violent extremism, "br"— human trafficking, "br"— criminal justice, "br"— cybercrime, "br"— arms trafficking.
This initiative was launched in 2021.
The training modules, manuals and numerous interactive and innovative manuals selected jointly with the Ministry of Education have been translated into Turkmen and Russian.
The training programs have been developed by five hundred teachers, scientists, experts, consultants and are already used in many countries of the world. Trainings on the use of these manuals were conducted for the teaching staff of secondary and higher educational institutions.
The head of the UNODC Representative Office in Turkmenistan, Chari Atayev, in his speech noted that the training modules include interactive training, various influencing and advanced instructions that will contribute to the implementation of tasks to combat corruption, terrorism and crime.
The UN CTU Regional Coordinator Karina Timshina stressed that the issue of quality education is one of the important aspects and vulnerability factors not only at the regional level, but also at the international level. Raising awareness in the designated areas will allow students to form additional information literacy.
UNODC international expert Gulnar Kudaibergenova presented training materials with a brief explanation on their use. Interactive board games, videos, comics and other visual aids are attached to all modules. The presentation was followed by a discussion of the next steps in the framework of the joint initiative.
The educational materials are designed to contribute to crime prevention and the formation of a culture of respect for the law by conducting training activities in primary, secondary and higher education institutions.
The guidelines are aimed at educating tomorrow's leaders to address the most pressing global crime—related issues, as well as contributing to the achievement of SDG 16 - a more just, peaceful and inclusive society.
Further, within the framework of the project, it is planned to conduct demonstration classes in universities of the country using UNODC training modules, organize preparatory events, involve representatives of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Turkmenistan and the Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in piloting training modules.
Artur PETROSYANTS
