On March 5-7, the “English Language and Inclusion Partnership Summit” was held at the “Wyndham” Hotel in Tashkent, which brought the English language reforms in the region to a new level. Organized within the framework of the “Accelerating English Language Teaching in Central Asia” (AELLCA) program, funded by the UK Government’s International Development Fund, this forum was aimed at introducing excellent practices in the training of English language teachers (PRESETT). Representatives of the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages and the International University for the Humanities and Development also actively participated in this strategic event.
In accordance with the program, the summit began on March 5. During it, representatives of the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages presented the results of the project “Introducing Inclusive Practices in Teacher Training” implemented jointly with Nottingham Trent University, UK, to the international community. This cooperation focused on improving teaching practices in Turkmenistan and making the learning environment more inclusive and modern. Turkmen experts not only gave presentations, but also actively participated in specialized consultations on curriculum and governance changes with representatives of other higher education institutions in the region.
In addition, during the summit, they exchanged experiences with higher education institutions from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on ways to overcome educational barriers common to Central Asia. During the conference, Turkmen experts participated in specialized group discussions on ensuring sustainability of teacher professional development (CPD) and implementing sustainable changes in educational institutions. Turkmen representatives also participated in a panel on maintaining gender equality and inclusion in the region and examined ways to bring the quality of English language teaching in the country in line with international standards.
In addition, the Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages, together with Nottingham Trent University, presented a number of concrete proposals for future initiatives. In particular, these include expanding continuous professional development (CPD), establishing a permanent Teachers’ Hub that brings together PRESETT and INSETT teachers with the support of the AELLCA program, organizing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects, virtual seminars and academic exchanges within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between Turkmen university and Nottingham Trent University in the UK. It is for developing an inclusive curriculum in PRESETT education, and conducting specialized training on inclusive teaching methods for the institute’s teachers.
This high-level summit, held in the Republic of Uzbekistan, aimed to support national reforms and internationalization in the field of English, demonstrate the achievements of partnership projects, share best practices in teacher training and inclusion, as well as establish a dialogue on gender equality and develop a sustainable strategy for cooperation. This international event once again proved that the education system of Turkmenistan is in line with world best practices, and Turkmen teachers are recognized as excellent specialists.
