Education minister has pay docked

ASHGABAT – President Saparmurat Niyazov last week docked Turkmenistan’s education minister three months’ pay, his press office said, accusing him of allowing weakness in the country’s education system.

Khydyra Saparlyieva is the latest government official to be targeted by the authoritarian president for alleged incompetence or corruption. In a statement, the presidential press service said Niyazov had punished Saparlyieva for “insufficient attention to organisational measures in the education system (and) allowing weakness in the demands of the leadership of educational and cultural institutions in fulfilling their professional obligations and organisational work”.The statement also accused Saparlyieva of allowing “the weakening of controls over the effectiveness of educational work”.Niyazov is known for publicly firing officials and jailing them on suspicion of corruption.The head of the central bank was fired in May, accused of improperly giving hundreds of millions of euros to an industrial development fund.A deputy prime minister fired for alleged corruption was later charged with working for foreign spy agencies.Educational standards have declined steeply since the country became independent at the end of 1991.Human rights activists say the government has stripped down schooling in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to dumb down its people and strengthen Niyazov’s hold on power.Niyazov calls himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of All Turkmen, and rules with an iron hand.He has also built a massive personality cult around himself.- Nampa-APIn a statement, the presidential press service said Niyazov had punished Saparlyieva for “insufficient attention to organisational measures in the education system (and) allowing weakness in the demands of the leadership of educational and cultural institutions in fulfilling their professional obligations and organisational work”.The statement also accused Saparlyieva of allowing “the weakening of controls over the effectiveness of educational work”.Niyazov is known for publicly firing officials and jailing them on suspicion of corruption.The head of the central bank was fired in May, accused of improperly giving hundreds of millions of euros to an industrial development fund.A deputy prime minister fired for alleged corruption was later charged with working for foreign spy agencies.Educational standards have declined steeply since the country became independent at the end of 1991.Human rights activists say the government has stripped down schooling in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to dumb down its people and strengthen Niyazov’s hold on power.Niyazov calls himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of All Turkmen, and rules with an iron hand.He has also built a massive personality cult around himself.- Nampa-AP