Study-abroad students from Turkmenistan can hardly make ends meet because of restrictions on money transfers from their parents as well as the fact that they are unable to return to their home country since international air services have been suspended.
There is an increasing number of tragic stories about students, which is related to the dire economic situation.
Many cannot afford to pay for qualified medical assistance.For instance, on 21 March, 2021, according to a correspondent of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, Mekan Yazmyradov, a Turkmen fourth-year student doing a course in Grodno State University in Belarus died.
Over the past three months he had had no money to rent an apartment and had stayed with friends.He had complained about severe headaches a few days before he died.
On 10 April Roza Babadjanova, a fifth-year student of the History Department of Armavir Teacher Training University (Russia) died.According to Radio “Azatlyk”, she had sought medical assistance in a hospital to remove a tumor behind her ear.
Initially, the girl had been admitted for surgery and then she was transferred to an intensive care unit.She was subsequently placed in a hospital ward where he died.
Young people from Turkmenistan have died at construction sites and in road traffic accidents in an attempt to earn a living and pay tuition fees.
According to Radio “Azatlyk”, a Turkmen student Orazmurad Nuryagdyev, who had been working on construction site in Sochi, Russia, died after he fell from the fifth floor.
There have been several reports about incidents related to workplace fatalities of study-abroad students.
Turkmenistan’s Embassies and Consulates provide no support to its citizens.
On 5 March President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov held a meeting to evaluate the performance of the Cabinet of Ministers over the past two months.After the progress report by Deputy Prime Minister Shakhym Abdrakhmanov overseeing the oil and gas sector the head of state called for the hiring of “new executives young and capable, who will work relentlessly, targeting their efforts for the benefit of Turkmenistan”.
A correspondent of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” interviewed Turkmen students doing a course of studies abroad. Below is what they have said:
It appears that the President is not aware that students are urged to think not only about their studies but also how to earn a living.My parents had difficulty sending me $50 through WU, which is the permitted amount for two months!
I received about 46$ after deductions.Does this mean that I have to live on 23$ a month?Both of my working parents earn good salaries and could send me more money.
Why do the authorities prevent people from sending more and impose restrictions?Why can’t people send the money they have earned to their children?
The cheapest rent for a several bedroom apartment with 2 to 4 people sharing each room is $200.The minimum amount for groceries is $50.The total is ten times as much as our parents are allowed to transfer.
Needless to say, almost all students, not only Turkmen nationals, try to find part-time jobs.We Turkmens have to work full-time in order to provide for ourselves, because there are no other ways to get money.
There are no jobs now.Cafes, where many have worked as waiters, are closed, as well as shops and factories.Nobody is thinking about their studies, we are only focused on making ends meet/earning money to buy food.
Guys from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries are our fellow students. No other countries have restrictions for WU transfers. Only the Turkmen authorities are treating their own students in such a way that nobody wants to return to the home country.
The other day five of our fellow countrymen were expelled from the Moscow University, two second year students and three fourth year students, because they had failed to pay tuition fees. These are just the cases I am aware of. Nobody knows exactly how many students have been expelled from other Russian universities.
Restrictions imposed on both WU and VISA card money transfers are becoming tighter.Even if your University is included in the list approved by the Education Ministry, new restrictions now apply.
If a student is doing a course in a medical university, the course should be 6 years minimum, despite the fact that there are specializations where a course lasts 4 to 5 years.
These students have been deprived of the opportunity to receive money transfers from Turkmenistan.In addition, a ban on money transfers has been imposed on those pursuing a second degree.
Berdymukhammedov should not rely on us returning home. Young and capable Turkmen citizens will be working for the good of other countries.
Let us recall that pursuant to amendments to the Law “On legal status of foreign nationals in the Russian Federation”, which came into effect on 5 August 2020, any full-time students are allowed to work in Russia.The post Turkmen study-abroad students are in financial distress first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.