(Not) Leaving Turkmenistan? A Survey of Students from Turkmenistan at the American University of Central Asia

University students from Turkmenistan find it increasingly difficult to study in their native country. As one option, some have traveled to the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Kyrgyzstan. However, due to a Turkmen government policy implemented in the fall of 2009, their opportunities to study in Kyrgyzstan are now even more restricted. The author anonymously surveyed 22 AUCA students from Turkmenistan in the spring of 2009. From varying ethnic backgrounds, they offered their opinions on educational opportunities in Turkmenistan, a potential return to Turkmenistan after their education, their perceptions of ethnocentrism within Turkmenistan, and the outlook for ethnic minorities in Turkmenistan in the future. This very limited sample means that quantitative analysis of the data is limited. However, it does provide a starting point for future research on education policy in Turkmenistan, specifically in relation to how policy on international education is impacting migratory populations, and how this is perceived by those most impacted by it.