“Chronicles of Turkmenistan” continues to follow events in Dashoguz after a tenfold increase in kindergarten fees.
Early on 17 October the education board of Dashoguz velayat hosted a meeting which brought together kindergarten principals and housekeeping managers of children’s pre-school educational establishments from the entire province.
At the meeting led by the executive of the education board Durdybai Jumanazarov, a former teacher of Handicrafts in a rural school, demanded that kindergarten employees stop encouraging parents to submit complaints to higher ranking authorities.
Following reports about the increased kindergarten fees and the decreased number of children, kindergarten teachers, nurses and even principals realized that this might lead to staff reductions and that some kindergartens could be closed down. They advised parents to complain to local authorities khyakimlik’s offices or the Ministry of Education.
According to our sources, in the past few days the number of written complaints and addresses across the velayat exceeds 25 thousand.
Officials, alarmed by this fact, are now trying to take measures to reduce the number of complaints.
At the end of his speech, Jumanazarov, who often raised his voice to shouting, demanded that kindergarten administrations provide meals to students pursuant to standards in which a weekly diet for children must include 31 food products.
At the same time he did not explain where kindergarten staff should get these food products. Meanwhile, responsible organizations are unable to supply eggs, milk and dairy products to kindergartens. Other groceries are supplied irregularly.
It should be mentioned that the official from the education board who recommended that discontented parents complain to the municipal administration, was arrested. According to Radio “Azatlyk”, he is accused of “instigating protests against the authorities”.