CHILDREN AND DISABILITY IN TURKMENISTAN - · PDF fileCHILDREN AND DISABILITY IN TURKMENISTAN...

CHILDREN AND DISABILITY IN TURKMENISTAN

Co-ordinator: D.B. Bairamov

National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan

MONEE Country Analytical Report 2002

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF.

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre Piazza SS. Annunziata, 12 50122 Florence, Italy webs i te : www.unicef- i cdc.org

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CHILDREN AND THE PROBLEMS OF DISABILITY

IN TURKMENISTAN

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION

2. CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: WHAT ARE THEY? THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS DISABLED CHILDREN

3. DISABLED CHILDREN IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS AND SPECI ALIZED INSTITUTIONS

4. DISABLED CHILDREN IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

APPENDICES

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INTRODUCTION

Turkmenistan, recognizing the primacy of the generally recognized principles and norms of international law, and the importance of international cooperation in improving the situation of children, has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In becoming a signatory to the Convention, Turkmenistan declared to the international community that it accepted responsibility for brining national legislation in line with the provisions of the Convention, thereby providing a legal framework for creating decent living conditions within the country, and ensuring that each and every child can fully exercise the compete range of constitutionally-guaranteed human rights, without any discrimination whatsoever. The obligations assumed predictably resulted in a need to draft at the national level a comprehensive system of measures, and to implement programmes which can facilitate implementation of the Convention's provisions.

In Turkmenistan, just as in any other country, these measures should both guarantee the opportunity of each child to fully enjoy his or her rights and provide adequate legal protection in the event of these rights being violated. The measures should also help create a system that takes into consideration the interests of the child as a possessor of basic rights and freedoms, and recognizes that it must be guided in all its actions concerning children by the best interests of the child (Article 3 of the Convention).

On the initiative of the country's President, Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, the International Parliamentary Conference on the Rights of the Child was held in Turkmenistan (February 20-22, 1997), which culminated in the signing of the Ashkhabad Declaration. This document set forth the priorities for national legislation with regard to the child's right to survival, development, and protection.

The Government of Turkmenistan is giving increasing importance in its policy of ensuring sustainable socio-economic development to children's problems, and to fulfilling the obligations included in the related international instruments. Long-term programmes and plans for acting in the interests of children, intended to comprehensively examine and solve the problems of childhood, are now being drawn up and implemented.

A system for the legal protection of children's interests, applicable to the new socio-economic conditions and taking into account national peculiarities and traditions, is being created virtually from scratch.

The problems of children who, in any society, find themselves in especially difficult circumstances – the orphaned and handicapped – have been granted top priority. The forms of assistance to these categories of children are being expanded on the basis of a doctrine quite new to Turkmenistan: humanization of the attitude towards such children, based on respect for the rights of the child; and providing the maximum opportunity for them to be integrated into their families and society as a result of the measures taken.

The drafting of new legislation in Turkmenistan has been proceeding apace since the early 1990s. This has included efforts to provide a legal mechanism in national legislation aimed at ensuring that the rights of the child, and the lawful interests of minors, shall be protected. The following documents have all been adopted: the Declaration on the International Obligations of Neutral Turkmenistan in the Area of Human Rights (December 27, 1995); the laws "On Citizenship in Turkmenistan" (September 30, 1992), "On Education in Turkmenistan" (October 1, 1993), "On Guaranteeing the Rights of the Child" (July 5, 2002), "On Government Allowances and Benefits" (July 17, 1998), "On Social Safeguards for the Disabled in Turkmenistan" (June 29, 1992); the Turkmenistan Civil Code (July 17, 1998); the Turkmenistan Presidential Directive "On Family-Type Children's Homes" (No. 10, October 3, 1994), etc.

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However, adopted legislation on the rights of children and on protection of their interests does not guarantee of itself their legal and social protection. It is important to know how these legislative and regulatory acts are being implemented in practice. The transition to a market economy has led to a significant broadening of the social base of those in need of various measures of social assistance. The changes now underway have affected especially strongly those groups of the population that, for a number of reasons, cannot solve their most pressing problems without the help from the government – children with disabilities in particular. In this context, it is extremely important that an analysis be done of the situation of children and of disability problems in Turkmenistan, especially since such research has never been conducted before in the country.

The Law of Turkmenistan "On Guaranteeing the Rights of the Child" stipulates in Article I that a child is anyone who has not yet reached the age of 18, unless otherwise is established by Turkmen law. In Turkmenistan's Law "On Government Allowances and Benefits", it is stated in Article 13 that disabled persons under 16 years of age are recognized by law as disabled children. In connection with this, we analyze in this report the problems of disabled children under the age of 16.

The Conference of Representatives from the CIS Member States on Preparations for the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children (held in Minsk on April 26-27, 2001) defined the following priority areas of activity in the interests of children:

• strengthening legal protection of children and developing a system of juvenile justice;

• supporting and developing the family as the natural environment for raising a child;

• ensuring safe motherhood and protection of children's and adolescents' health;

• supporting children in especially difficult circumstances, etc.

International support for Turkmenistan's nationwide efforts to improve the situation of children offers additional means of achieving its stated goals through attracting the required resources and expertise for designing effective approaches to the problem. Sometimes assistance programmes play a decisive role in resolving specific problems. It is important to broaden the scale and increase the effectiveness of international assistance, within the framework of programmes and projects, and better coordinate them with national priorities.

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DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION

Since gaining independence, the population of Turkmenistan has risen by 40%; on January 1, 2002, it stood at 5.64 million. The average annual growth rate of the population was 3.4%. An analysis of the demographic situation shows that it is quite favourable, and is facilitating the development of positive population trends. The size of Turkmenistan's population grows with each passing year.

Figure 1. Growth of Turkmenistan's de facto population growth at year end, thous.

The relatively high growth rates of Turkmenistan's population (the trend is exponential) will continue the foreseeable future. This is of even greater importance when one considers the increasingly rapid ageing of the population worldwide: if in France, for example, the share of the population aged 60 or older has grown from 9% to 18% over the last 140 years, then (according to UN estimates) the same increase will take 34 years in China, and 22 years in Venezuela.

Among the factors substantially influencing the magnitude of demographic phenomena, the age and gender structure of any population holds a special place. In the structure of Turkmenistan's de jure population, the share of women is 50.3%; it is virtually the same among the urban and rural populations. Across Turkmenistan there has been a closing of the gap between the size of the male and female population. The closing of this gap is taking place as a result of reduced mortality among working-age males.

Changes in the age structure of the population are now characterized by a rise in the number of working-age persons, and a reduction in the proportion of children and pensioners. Children under the age of 16 comprised 38% of the overall population as of January 1, 2002, as against 42.7% in 1989.

The number of children aged 0-4 has shrunk (from making up 15% of the overall population in 1989 to just 9.4% in 2002), as a result of the policy pursued in recent years of improving reproductive health and aimed at increasing the interval between the successive births (i.e., the intergenetic interval). In contrast, the proportion of children aged 5-16 has correspondingly grown from 26.8% to 28.6% over the same period of time.

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The gender-related ratio between children has changed very little: the proportion of under-16 boys grew from 50.5% in 1989 to 51% in 2002; the proportion of girls correspondingly shrank from 49.5% to 49%.

Thus, an improvement has been seen in the demographic situation since Turkmenistan gained its independence.

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: WHAT ARE THEY? THE GOVERN MENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS DISABLED CHILDREN

Disability is a socio-biological concept. On the one hand, it is an indicator of the population's health status; on the other, it is a sign of the losses in labour and economic resources borne by the government as a result of losing citizens capable of working.

A disabled person is an individual whose health status is characterized by persistent disorders of the body functions induced by diseases or the after-effects of injuries or defects, which lead to vital activity limitations and result in the need of the individual's social protection.

Vital activity limitation is partial or complete loss by a person of the ability to take care of oneself (or the opportunity of doing so); to move about on one's own, the ability to orient, communicate, control one's behaviour, study, and engage in labour activity.

Disability categories have been assigned to those who have been certified as disabled, according to the severity of their functional disorders and the limitations of their vital activities; the category of "disabled children" has been assigned to those under the age of 16.

In Turkmenistan, the number of disabled children is not great. On July 1, 2002, there were reportedly 11,603 disabled children under the age of 16, or less than 1% of the overall population.

In accordance with effective legislation, disability categories are not assigned to children under the age of 16.

In principle, evading the registration of children who are physically or mentally handicapped is difficult, since the existing healthcare system was organized in such a way that a pediatrician would conduct their outpatient observation from birth until they were 15, and a physician specializing in adolescent health problems would then observe them until they turned 18. Now, all of this is done by a family doctor. A family doctor, in case of identifying children with diseases and pathological conditions (as per an official list of medical symptoms) that entitle disabled children under 16 to allowances, has to present the patient, along with medical documentation, to a Medical Consultative Commission at the local healthcare facility. The patient is then sent for examination to a Medico-Social Expert Commission (MSEC) operating under Turkmenistan's Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry (MPHMI). The regulations on the MSECs are approved by Turkmenistan's Cabinet of Ministers.

The medical reports are signed by the MSEC chair, certified with its official seal, and sent within five days to the appropriate social protection agency at the place of residence of the child's parents or guardian.

In resolving the question of issuing medical reports for disabled children under the age of 16, the particulars of the patient's medical condition, the nature and course of the pathological process, the level of his or her compensatory development, and the degree of social desadaptation – the possibility of involving the child in educational and pedagogical processes appropriate to his or her age – are taken into account in each individual case.

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With regard to the diseases and pathological conditions that entitle disabled children under the age of 16 to allowances, medical reports are drawn up every 2-3 years until the child reaches 16 years of age. Upon reaching the age of 16, disabled children must be certified by an MSEC, in accordance with the instruction on "Basic Criteria for Determining Disability" (No. 218, issued September 6, 1999). Disability with no set time for re-certification is established in cases of: chronic, irreversible morphological changes and abnormalities in the functioning of individual organs and the body as a whole; and the impossibility of improvement, or of restoring social adaptation due to the inadequacy of the rehabilitation measures employed.

In addition, a special case history of the child is kept at all schools and pre-school institutions. The slightest change in the health status is reported to the appropriate medical institution at the child's place of residence.

As a rule, the parents of disabled children are themselves interested in certifying the child, since this confers certain benefits and privileges on the child's mother. The mother (or any other person formally designated as the child's adoptive parent or guardian) is paid a disability benefit granted to a disabled child under the age of 16. For mothers who are raising disabled children under the age of 16, the amount of the allowance for temporary disability is 100% of the average wage, regardless of the length of service. Mothers have the right to take up to six years of uninterrupted job leave, without loss of seniority, to care for disabled children. (This is important when calculating old-age pensions.) Mothers of disabled children also have the right to retire with full pensions three years earlier than is normal (i.e., at the age of 54).

Disability, as based on the loss of one's ability to work, is divided into three categories. The disability category, and the period for which disability benefits are granted, are established by the Medico-Social Expert Commissions (MSEC). Disability benefits are granted from the day the disability status is established, but no more than three months from the day the benefits were first applied for.

Benefits are granted to handicapped children under the age of 16 and those who have been disabled since childhood, regardless of whether or not they have been covered by government social security. The amount of their disability benefits is 150% of the minimum benefit size.

Benefits are granted after the healthcare institution has forwarded to the Public Health Ministry's MSEC its medical report, along with a counterfoil in which the child's legal guardian is named. Most often, the disabled child's mother is the legal guardian. The medical report is then sent to the Ministry of Social Security, which is the document required for the payment of benefits; the counterfoil remains at the Ministry of Public Health.

According to regulations of the Social Security Ministry, if the person receiving benefits does not, for any reason, forward the medical certificate on time, after six months he or she must once again undergo re-examination at the Public Health Ministry.

Turkmenistan's Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry does not keep statistical records of disabled children. Out of the overall number of children recognized as disabled, those "disabled since childhood" (total, and town/village) are listed on Line 12 in Section 1 of the Public Health Ministry Form No. 16, "Annual Report on the Activity of the Medico-Social Expert Commissions". Registration of disabled children is done in the form of tables, compiled in quarterly surveys of Turkmenistan's velayats (administrative regions). The data are compiled on the basis of MSEC reports, and include the number of children originally established as disabled during the reporting period; the number of those repeatedly recognized as disabled; and the grand total, broken down according to type of disease, and age and gender structure.

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Turkmenistan's Ministry of Social Security keeps statistical records of the disabled children receiving benefits. This is done on the Ministry of Social Security Form No. 2, "Report on the Number of Beneficiaries and the Size of the Benefits Granted to Them by the Government", which is presented to the national statistical agencies (the National Institute for Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Turkmenmillikhasabat, and the Turkmenistan Ministry of the Economy and Finance) not later than August 30 in the case of bi-annual reports, and by March 15 in the case of annual reports.

Line 32 of this form, "Disabled Children under the Age of 16", includes information on the number of beneficiaries; the total amount of benefits granted to them during the reporting period; the average amount of monthly allowances; and the number of disabled children to whom benefits were granted for the first time during the reporting period, and the sum of their monthly benefits.

It should be noted that the data from the Ministry of Social Security and the Public Health Ministry on the number of disabled children do not coincide, since the Ministry of Social Security covers by its report those disabled children who did not manage to have their re-certification done during the reporting period, and those handicapped children who moved from one velayat to another. In addition, the Social Security Ministry list of the overall number of disabled children receiving benefits, includes both the children for whom disability was established for a period of 2-3 years, and with no time limit.

The Social Security Ministry data have no breakdown of handicapped children by gender and age, which complicates any analysis of the beneficiaries according to these two indicators.

The present system of (nationwide and departmental) statistics and recording does not envisage the registration of data on a disabled child's family (the parents' education level, their ethnicity, composition of the family, incomes, etc.). Special surveys must be conducted in order to obtain this data.

It was not possible to obtain data on the number of handicapped children receiving benefits for the 1989-1992 period because they are kept in the archives of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Social Security. In 2001, the number of disabled children receiving benefits had grown by just 30%, as compared with 1993. This is due to the fact that before 1998, the size of the benefits to a disabled child was not particularly large – 32,000 manats a month – and that some families (out of those financially better-off) consequently did not fill out the required documents. At the start of 1998, the size of the benefit was raised to 120,000 manats (that is, by 280%); and since December 1, 1999, to as many as 150,000 manats.

In recent years (from 2000 to the present), a trend towards lower numbers of disabled children has been observed, according both Public Health Ministry and Social Security Ministry.

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Table 1

Number of disabled children under the age of 16 receiving benefits, persons*

2000 2001 1st half of 2002

Regions Total

Including benefits granted during the reporting period

Total


Total


Turkmenistan 12,723 1,657 12,082 1,322 11,603 532 City of Ashkhabad 1,183 125 1,066 130 1,005 52 Akhal velayat 1,865 289 1,720 229 1,718 109 Balkan velayat 1,128 138 1,048 128 1,017 40 Dashoguz velayat 3,127 271 3,036 260 2,932 94 Lebap velayat 3,122 414 2,866 255 2,764 133 Mary velayat 2,298 420 2,346 320 2,267 104

*Data of the Turkmenistan Ministry of Social Security

Table 2 Number of children under the age of 16 recognized as disabled,

by types of disease, persons**

2000

2001

1st half of 2002

Originally recognized as disabled 1,772 1,249 605 Repeatedly recognized as disabled 3,854 1,964 1,751 Total 5,626 3,213 2,356 Tuberculosis 4 2 2 Tumors 56 51 25 Diseases of the blood and hemopoietic organs 71 35 19 Diseases of the endocrine system 100 61 50 Mental disorders 1,534 830 602 Diseases of the nervous system 1,645 969 747 Diseases of the eye and organs of vision 444 240 185 Diseases of the ear and the mastoid 500 224 222 Circulatory diseases 255 143 119 Diseases of the respiratory system 100 44 30 Diseases of the digestive system Diseases of the osteomuscular system and connective tissue

332 225 143

Diseases of the urogenital system 126 124 55 Injuries 207 98 61 Other diseases 155 118 74

**Data of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry

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Figure 2. Number of children under the age of 16 recognized as disabled, by age

(persons)

Source: Data of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry

The largest share of disabled children is made up of children between the ages of 6 and 16 (more than 80%).

On the whole, such diseases as (according to ranking) those of the nervous system; mental disorders; diseases of the ear and the mastoid, and of the eye and organs of vision, are among the main reasons for children being recognized as disabled.

Medical institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry provides free regular medical attendance to disabled children.

In accordance with the Law "On Social Protection for the Disabled in Turkmenistan", appropriate educational and child-rearing institutions under the Ministry of Education render assistance to parents educating disabled children at home. Classes are held for handicapped children receiving treatment in hospitals. In the allocation of housing, the government gives priority to disabled individuals of the 1st and 2nd categories. Residential homes for the disabled are always equipped with a telephone.

The disabled of the 1st and 2nd categories and those disabled since childhood receive medication in accordance with the procedure established by the Turkmenistan Council of Ministers, on the basis of prescriptions issued by physicians, either free of charge or at a 50% discount.

The main nongovernmental (public) organizations (NGOs) dealing with issues of the disabled in Turkmenistan are the National Society of the Red Crescent; the Society of the Blind and Deaf; and the Central Physical Training and Sports Club for the Disabled of Turkmenistan.

The Central Board of the Turkmen Society of the Blind and Deaf (CB TSB and TSD) and the Central Physical Training and Sports Club for the Disabled of Turkmenistan maintain close contacts with all of the country's pre-school institutions and schools for disabled children.

Material assistance (in particular, mattresses, cotton-stuffed pillows, and sets of bed linen) is provided by the Central Board, and its twelve subordinate training-cum-production enterprises, to the

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1st half of2002

6-15 years old 4700 2603 2037

3-5 years old 713 446 274

Under the age of 3 213 164 45

2000 2001 1st half of 2002

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Yaroshenko specialized residential homes for blind and weak-sighted children in the city of Ashkhabad, and for deaf children and children with diminished hearing in the cities of Ashkhabad, Dashoguz, and Turkmenabad.

The children from those residential schools join in all the popular cultural events arranged by the administrations of the primary local production organizations of the TSB and TSD. All the graduates of those schools are registered at their place of residence and, if possible, given jobs at TSB and TSD training-cum-production enterprises.

Branches of the Central Physical Training and Sports Club, located in every velayat in the country, work to organize sports sections in specialized residential schools for disabled children. In the specialized residential schools for the mentally retarded in the cities of Turkmenbashi, Abadan, Dashoguz, Turkmenabad, and Mary, 11 coaches train children, while 6 coaches are employed at the specialized residential schools for deaf children and children with diminished hearing in the cities of Dashoguz and Turkmenabad.

Part of the humanitarian aid donated to the TSD and TSB by Counterpart International is forwarded to specialized schools for disabled children.

In 2001, the following events were held by the National Society of the Red Crescent of Turkmenistan:

• in Akhal velayat, presents were distributed in an auxiliary residential school, with toys and other gifts being given to 135 disabled children;

• in Balkan velayat, charity events were held for disabled children in the cities of Balkanabat, Gumdag, and Turkmenbashi for the holidays of Novruz-Bayram (the start of the Muslim new year ), New Year's, the Child Protection Day, and the Day of the Disabled. Mini-football matches were held for handicapped children, with 240 of them participating;

• in Dashoguz velayat, humanitarian aid was distributed in a residential school for the deaf and dumb to 420 children;

• in Lebap velayat, presents were handed out to 120 handicapped children;

• in Mary velayat, humanitarian aid was distributed to 349 disabled children;

• in the city of Ashkhabad, holiday events were organized for 293 disabled children, with the handing out of presents, and a variety of competitions and games.

More than 92.6 million manats worth of aid was donated in 2001.

Similar events for disabled children were held by the National Red Crescent Society in 2002.

The analysis conducted in this section allows one to arrive at the following conclusions and suggestions:

A great deal of work for the social protection of disabled children is being done by the government represented by local government agencies, and the Turkmenistan Ministries of Public Health and Medical Industry, Social Security, and Education. Substantial aid in this area comes from nongovernmental and international organizations.

In recent years, much has been done by the government with regard to equipping and adapting public places to provide access for the disabled (in the capital and other large cities, in particular).

Meanwhile, the following is needed to improve social assistance to disabled children:

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• the system of registering and keeping statistics on disabled children must be improved, particularly within the Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry, as well as the Ministry of Social Security;

• Turkmenistan's Ministry of Public Health and Medical Industry must examine how closely its Instructions on "Basic Criteria for Determining Disability" (No. 218, issued September 6, 1999) meet international standards for establishing child disability;

• statistical agencies, together with the Ministries of Social Security, Public Health and Medical Industry, and Education, and with nongovernmental and international organizations, must monitor the condition of disabled children, in order to bring to light any problems, and to find ways of solving them and providing aid;

• much more material and humanitarian aid for disabled children is needed from nongovernmental and international organizations.

DISABLED CHILDREN IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS AND SPECIALIZED INSTITUTIONS

Any examination of the problems associated with safeguarding the rights of, and laying the foundations of a healthy lifestyle for children, disabled or otherwise, rests upon the relevant laws and regulations currently in effect in the nation in question. In Turkmenistan, this includes, in particular, the systems for universal secondary education and healthcare, and granting government allowances to women who are raising children and to disabled children, plus the Labour and Criminal Codes, and the various programmes for improving the individual's quality of life.

Practically all children attend a mainstream or specialized school, with the exception of those recognized as incapable.

There are 14 specialized residential schools in Turkmenistan, three of which are for children with diminished hearing or non-congenitally deaf children; one is for blind and weak-sighted children; and ten are for mentally and physically handicapped children.

In October 2002, interviews were conducted with the heads of specialized government-run institutions in order to identify the problems of supporting and educating disabled children.

A special residential school (internat) for children with diminished hearing in the city of Ashkhabad was opened 15 years ago. Seven years ago, it was moved to the city's Mir residential area, to a building designed and constructed for a children's pre-school centre. The residential school was outfitted with special equipment for the teaching of children with impaired hearing.

The residential school is a government-funded educational institution. At present, it has 198 inmates.

Apart from budget funding, the following sponsors provide material support for the school:

• nongovernmental organizations in the city: Turkmenistan's National Society of the Red Crescent, the Turkmenistan Youth League, and UNICEF. Clothing, warm blankets and other bedding, and medicines have all been acquired at the expense of these organizations, along with free computer instruction for the children;

• the country's government organizations: by order of the President of Turkmenistan, the power ministries – Interior, National Security, and Defence – also contribute sponsor aid. With the help

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of the Interior Ministry, three new Kirgizia washing machines have been acquired, and renovation of the building's electrical wiring is to start soon. As part of its humanitarian aid, the Turkmenmedtekhnika production association helped to obtain hearing aids.

• two businessmen regularly help in having fruit, vegetables, and other foodstuffs delivered;

• individual residents of Ashkhabad contribute aid privately.

Children from other localities live at the school throughout the academic year. Due to family circumstances, some of the students remain at the school during the holidays. Some of the children from Ashkhabad live at the school during the academic week, while others simply attend daily classes.

The school has two dormitories with room for 100 children: 50 boys and 50 girls. All sleeping areas are supplied with bedclothes and a change of linen. Since many children stay at the school 24 hours a day, the following types of services are offered aside of education and instruction:

(a) sanitary and hygienic:

• the children bathe twice a week in two shower rooms with hot running water;

• linen is laundered (bed linen is changed twice a week);

(b) medical services:

• a staff doctor and a nurse are on duty at all times;

• in addition, the children are trained by visiting surdologists from the A.S. Niyazov Therapeutic and Consultative Centre;

• hospital No. 1 provides the school with medicines;

(c) meals and snacks are offered five times a day.

The teaching process includes:

• instruction in mandatory subjects: Rukhnama, the history of Turkmenistan, Turkmen language and literature, mathematics, physics, nature studies, geography, Russian language and literature, work skills, and art;

• instruction in specialized subjects: practical and applied skills, familiarity with the world around them, rhythm, work to improve hearing, and individual work with surdologists.

The education and instruction process is supplemented with clubs for those with special interests: sports (wrestling, football), dress-making, embroidery, chess and draughts.

Residential school inmates participate in sports competitions with mainstream schools and other events (dances, etc.) organized by the city.

Residential school inmates also possess artistic talent. In 2001, a competition was held under the auspices of the UN for the best painting by a schoolchild. The residential school took first place. Three of its graduates have finished a fine arts school. Of these, one young woman is now working at the school as a practical skills teacher.

Children at the school receive incomplete secondary education (a six-grade curriculum, spread over eight grades).

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Besides their pedagogical education, all the school's teachers either have a second special education (surdopedagogue, e.g.), or have completed special courses.

Constant contact is maintained between parents, the school administration, and the children. Parents' meetings are held, along with individual talks with parents when they visit, or over the telephone. In turn, parents can call the school and talk with their children and the school teachers (about both their child's health and academic achievements).

The residential school needs economic assistance to perform a major renovation of its plumbing and sewer systems.

Among the problems faced by the school, it must also be noted that surdopedagogy is not taught as a specialty in Turkmenistan's higher educational institutions. The Ministry of Education still does not have the economic means to send teachers to study in the nations of the CIS where such specialists are trained. As a result, Turkmenistan needs assistance from international organizations in the training of professional surdopedagugues.

One hundred and ninety-three children attend the auxiliary residential school in Balkan velayat (in the city of Turkmenbashi); of these, 73 are girls.

Thirty-eight of the children are orphans, 70 have lost one parent, and the rest are from dysfunctional families. Thirty of the children were transferred from the Balkanabat children's home. The children live and study at the school, which serves three meals a day. All of the children are supported by the government. Sometimes, on Saturdays and Sundays, the children with parents go back to their homes.

There are 249 children at Auxiliary Residential School No. 1 for the mentally retarded in Dashoguz velayat. Forty-seven of these are "non-residents", who go home after supper at 7:00 p.m., and come back the next morning at 8:00 o'clock. They attend the school for eight years. Along with their basic studies, girls learn sewing, while boys are taught the trade of cabinet-making.

Parents' meetings are held every 15 days, and are always well-attended; in addition, parents can come and visit their children whenever they want.

For two days a week (after 12:00 noon on Saturdays and all day Sunday), around 180 of the children go home with their parents or relatives.

Among the school's problems is a lack of sewing and cabinet-making supplies, and a shortage of bed linen. There is an urgent need to install new sewer systems and to build a new bath house.

There are three government-run residential schools in Lebap velayat (in the city of Turkmenabat).

There are 223 children, granted 3rd disability category, at Residential School No. 5 for the deaf, at which children from all regions of Turkmenistan can be found. New students are enrolled thanks to announcements printed in newspapers.

Children study here from the ages of 6 to 17. In nine years of school, they complete five full grades. During the academic 2002/03, there was a total of 24 separate classes. In academic 2001/02, one class was graduated, and three new classes of disabled children were enrolled.

In class, the children study speech development, grammar, dactile speech and signing, mathematics, applied and practical skills, drawing, rhythm, motor coordination, familiarity with the world around them, the Turkmen and Russian languages, work skills, elective subjects, physics, history, and geography. There are also clubs for dress-making, rug-making, chess, draughts, and dancing.

The school has a 250-bed dormitory. There is a continuing demand for additional beds, mattresses, blankets, pillows, bed linen, footwear, clothing, hand tools, school supplies, and hearing aids.

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The school needs help in organizing its own subsistence farm to grow fruit, vegetables, and so on, in order to improve the quality of the children's daily fare.

The school's medical personnel give the children whatever medical attention they may need. There is a treatment room, a physical therapy room, and an isolation ward; if necessary, sick children are transferred to a hospital. Meanwhile, the school is in need of additional supplies of medicines.

The children at the residential school are active in sports: national games, Greco-Roman wrestling, and the local goresh style of wrestling. The city of Turkmenabad's community sports schools are doing whatever they can to help arrange travels to competitions in the cities of Ashkhabad, Mary, and Dashoguz, where residential school children have often walked off with top honours.

The school needs to obtain dress clothing, a television, and a music centre (tape player, phonograph, and speakers).

In so far as they are able to, the children's parents offer the residential school financial assistance. The children travel home and visit their families during school holidays. After finishing their studies at the school, the children return permanently to their homes. Then, if they wish so, they can go to work for the TSB or TSD.

There are 243 inmates at Residential School No. 2 for oligophrenic children. Of these, ten are orphans; 35 have been abandoned by (drug-addicted or alcoholic) parents.

The children range in age from 7 to 17-18. Classes are held only part of the day, at four grade levels. The subjects taught include speech development, the Turkmen and Russian languages, geography, mathematics, history, and work skills. There is a metal workshop, a sewing workshop, and a playroom for the smallest children.

The residential school's medical personnel provide whatever medical aid is needed, and the school has its own treatment room. There is, however, a shortage of medicines, special medications, and materials for dressings and bandages.

There is a housing problem at the school: 140 children live in a dormitory intended for 100. Additional supplies are needed of bedding, nightstands, classroom furniture (school desks, chairs, blackboards, shelves), footwear and warm clothing; also needed is help in acquiring sporting goods and musical instruments.

The school produces much of its own food, which is a great help in making ends meet.

The school needs new equipment for the cafeteria, and for its bathing and laundry facilities. It also needs transport – a microbus to take children on their summer holidays.

Despite considerable problems, the disabled children at the school are active in sports: track and field, and national games. A team from the school took part in the Euro-Asian Track and Field Games for the Disabled, held in Ashkhabad September 6-10, 2002.

There are 265 inmates aged 7 to 17 at Residential School No. 4 for oligophrenic children. They follow a part-time curriculum as they progress through four grades. Subjects taught include speech development, the Turkmen and Russian languages, mathematics, geography, and history. Work skills are the children's main subject: there are workshops for boys, and dress-making groups for girls.

The school has a garden and subsistence farm to produce its own food. It also has a 160-bed dormitory, in which 220 children live.

The residential school devotes special attention to sports. The children take part in track and field, football, basketball, and national games. A disabled athlete, 7th-grader Babajan Rozybaev, won the

16

gold medal for the 400-meter run, and the bronze medal for the 800-meter run, at a competition held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

There is practically no contact between the children and their parents, since they come mostly from dysfunctional families: their parents are either drug addicts or alcoholics, or are mentally retarded.

Among the problems this residential school faces are shortages of medicines, mattresses, blankets, pillows, bed linen, writing supplies, and sports equipment (footballs, and chess and draughts sets).

There are 214 children, aged 4 to 18, coming from all parts of Turkmenistan, at the Eloten psycho-neurological residential home in Mary velayat. They are all fully supported by the government. Of them, 81 are girls and 133 are boys; 71 are ambulatory, while 143 only capable of crawling or bedridden.

The children are divided into 25 groups. One of these is classified as seriously ill, and receives the appropriate treatment. Children are provided with medical, pedagogical, social, and housekeeping services. Popular cultural events are held for the children, especially concerts, video shows, and outdoor treks.

Parents visit their children infrequently, or keep in touch by mail.

Humanitarian aid is contributed very occasionally by velayat organizations and certain local residents.

Among the problems the residential home faces are:

• a shortage of funds for the complete remodelling of the building, dormitory, and gymnasium; and for the acquisition of household appliances (refrigerators, air conditioners, and televisions);

• transport is needed badly;

• wheelchairs of all types and mattresses for children incapable of walking are needed.

There are 16 disabled children at the Mary velayat infant home. They receive medical assistance according to their type of illness (vitamin therapy, physical therapy, massage, or preventative measures).

Six of the children have parents, who visit them occasionally.

Caring for children (aged over 4 to 5 years), especially those with cerebral palsy, is complicated by a lack of wheelchairs. Special beds, dishes, chairs, and tables are needed for children with limb hypertonicity or uncontrollable movement of the extremities.

There are 113 children with debility-stage of oligophrenia at Auxiliary Residential School No. 1 in the city of Mary. Of these, one child has been diagnosed as suffering from post-trauma damage to the central nervous system and left-hemisphere hemoparesis; four as having infant cerebral palsy; one as having Down's syndrome; and five with meningoencephalitis.

All of these children are fully provided for by the government, and receive whatever medical assistance is needed.

The residential school is in regular contact with the children's families. Courses in psychology and defectology are held for parents.

All the children live at the school during the week; for as long as they attend the school, parents take their children home on the weekends, or at vacation time. There are no other types of guardianship, not even to provide parents with a short respite.

The specialized (auxiliary) residential school in the city of Bairamali has 104 inmates in fully institutionalised care.

17

Transportation services are offered to the children. There are five vehicles at the school; the children arrive at 8 a.m., and are taken to their homes at 5:30 p.m. There are no dormitory rooms at the school.

In addition, the children receive medical services. One constant problem, however, is a shortage of medicines.

The school maintains regular contact with the children's parents. No social work is done to help parents raise their children.

Thus, this monographic study of specialized institutions for disabled children shows that they are practically all wards of the government, while other forms of guardianship (social workers assigned to a case, etc.) do not exist. These institutions educate, support, and help rear their children, and provide them with medical services. Along with this, disabled children are helped develop their working and sporting skills.

Common problems of these specialized institutions include: the lack of free medications, special furniture and equipment, sports equipment and musical instruments, etc.

The efforts of local communities, NGOs, and international organizations must be stepped up to ensure government assistance in solving these problems.

DISABLED CHILDREN IN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

As a rule, having a member of the family who is disabled greatly complicates its economic position. Research has shown that having two disabled individuals in the family drops it to the very lowest level of that stratum of society which is materially least well-off. Having three such persons in the family is simply a catastrophe for the latter. In addition, the situation gets worse in proportion to the category of disability.

In Turkmenistan, there are virtually no administrative sources of statistical and information on the social and economic situation of families with disabled children. There have been no special studies in this field.

In the year 2000, a sample survey was done by the National Institute for Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan (Turkmenmillikhasabat), in cooperation with UNICEF, of households in two of the country's velayats, in order to analyze the standard of living for children and women. Seven hundred and sixty-seven households were polled in Dashoguz velayat, and 434 in Balkan velayat. The survey's questionnaire was designed in such a manner as to shed some light on those problems which could not be analyzed using official (administrative) statistics. The questionnaire included a section with several questions on the situation of disabled and chronically ill children. The survey allowed certain information to be obtained, and an analysis of the situation of disabled children in families and communities to be done.

There are two residential schools in Dashoguz velayat, at which 327 children (as of 2000, the year the survey was conducted) live and study. In the school for children with impaired hearing, lessons are taught in accordance with the Program for Educating Deaf Schoolchildren.

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All of the children have the parents. Among the causes of the children's diseases are:

• pathologies in their mothers during pregnancy;

• serious infant diseases, or administration of large doses of antibiotics (including hentomycin);

• incestuous marriages.

The children remain at the residential school twenty-four hours a day, except the summer vacation.

Children who lag behind their peers in mental and physical development are educated at the specialized residential school of the appropriate profile.

In the velayat, the sample survey has revealed 16 children with chronic illnesses and 5 children with disabilities lasting more than six months. The causes of the children's disability were congenital pathologies (38%) and pathologies developed after birth (62%). Predominating among these were diseases of the respiratory organs (33%), the nervous system (21%), the blood, hemopoietic organs, and the circulatory system (17%), and the osteomuscular system (13%). In 88% of the cases, the diagnosis was made by a physician.

All of the afflicted children live with their families. The children are either looked after by their parents (67%), or are capable of taking care of themselves (33%). In the large cities, such families are helped by their relatives and medical establishments. In towns and villages, they receive help from relatives, local government agencies, and nongovernmental charity organizations.

Of the ten school-age children polled, seven attended school, two were uneducable (incapable), and one did not have the conditions needed for study.

Around 67% of the families surveyed said they were experiencing material difficulties.

Figure 3. Households with disabled or chronically ill children, by level of cash income per a family member, in Dashoguz velayat

On average, one urban family spends around 255,000 manats annually (slightly over 21,000 manats per month) on the purchasing of medicines, visits to the doctor, and transportation costs. A rural family will spend about 283,000 manats (around 24,000 manats per month). The greatest annual expenditures (for certain families) go as high as 600,000 manats and 1.2 million manats (50,000-100,000 manats per

44 50

6

0

10

20

30

40

50

under 50 50-100 more than100

Cash income per a family member,thous. manats per moth

Proportion of families with a cash income, in %

19

month), respectively. More than 17% of the families surveyed said that medical staff paid insufficient attention to them, while 8% pointed to the absence of specialized educational programmes for disabled children.

Nevertheless, in response to the question "Would you like to hand your disabled child over to a specialized children's institution?", only one rural family, mentioning the complete absence of conditions needed to care for a disabled child at home, agreed to have it institutionalized. The other families were categorically against this. Their main motives were: it would be too painful to part with the children; there would be no possibility of visiting them often; they were not certain it would be better for the children; and moral and ethical considerations.

Of those households surveyed in Balkan velayat, eight had children under 18 with chronic illnesses, while three had children with disabilities. All these children lived in urban centres (the proportion of urban residents in Balkan velayat is around 80% of the total population).

Present among the illnesses were: tuberculosis (two cases); nervous system disorders (two cases); eye diseases (one case); and the circulatory diseases (two cases). Among the disabled, two children had congenital pathologies, while one developed his/her disability later in life. Of the chronically ill, in only one case the diagnosis was made by somebody who was not a doctor.

In response to the question "How much money did you spend in the last twelve months on expenses related to this chronic illness or disability?", the following answers were given:

Number of respondents Expenses, in thous. manats

2 100 1 200 1 400 1 1,200 1 2,400

Only two respondents (out of three with disabled children) said that they receive allowances (of 150,000 manats each).

Only one-fourth of the respondents with chronically ill children said that they receive assistance from municipal councils (khyakimliks) or medical institutions. In the main, it is the parents who take care of their children; only one case was identified where the family hired an outsider to look after a child during the day.

The main reason the parents of four children wanted to turn them over to a specialized institution was that there was no one at home who could take care of them. Those who did not want to turn their children over to specialized institutions were guided mainly by moral principles: they simply felt bad about it, and/or believed that it would be worse for the child there.

Material difficulties, and the lack of public institutions that bring together people with similar problems, were cited as being among those that parents raising a chronically ill child at home encountered.

Chronically ill children were living in families with per member cash income amounting to:

20

Up to 100,000 manats (2 children);

100,000-200,000 manats (4 children);

200,000-320,000 manats (2 children). They were all living in families with three or more members:

Number of household members Number of ill children 3 1 4 3 6 3 9 1

Four (chronically ill) children were the only ones in their families; one was the third in his or her family; and three lived in families with a total of four children.

Although it should be borne in mind that it was done in the year 2000, the survey allowed the problems faced by families with handicapped children to be brought to light.

Despite substantial benefits and assistance rendered by the government (free medical services, medicines, education, and utilities – gas, electricity, water, etc.) to families with disabled children, these were, in the opinion of the respondents, insufficient.

The results of our research allow us to make the following recommendations:

• strengthening government and nongovernmental control over the implementation of programmes, plans, and obligations, and expanding the system for monitoring and analyzing the state of children's issues at all levels, to include the preparation of national reports on the situation of children, disabled children included;

• increasing government and NGO special support targeted at poor families with disabled children;

• expanding social and educational services for families raising disabled children;

• expanding purposeful cooperation with international organizations, foundations, programmes, UN specialized agencies and programmes (UNICEF, WHO, etc.) in order to develop and implement projects on the priority issues defined at the national and regional levels, and to get more support from private donors;

• improving coordination of donor efforts on children's issues at the national level. The quality and effectiveness of donor assistance to such projects should also be increased. Special comprehensive survey should be conducted on the situation of children, disabled children included, to obtain the information required for analysis and the drafting of recommendations.

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APPENDIX

Data on children cohorts in specialized and sanatorium-type pre-schools and residential schools at the start of 2002

Institution Number of institutions

Number of children in institutions

Diagnoses of children in institution

Total 33 3,953 Including: City of Ashkhabad (total) 11 1,277 Including: Auxiliary School 1 195 Oligophrenia, Down's

syndrome Residential School for Children with Diminished Hearing and Non-congenitally Deaf Children

1 163 Neuro-sensory hypoacusis, deafness

Residential School for Blind and Weak-Sighted Children

1 125 Myopia, strabismus, cataract, glaucoma

Sanatorium-type Residential Country School

1 136 TB contacts

Special Pre-school for Deaf Children 1 64 Neuro-sensory hypoacusis, deafness

Nursery/Pre-school No. 4 (sanatorium) 1 55 TB contacts Pre-school No. 6 1 148 Speech defects Pre-school No. 10 1 113 TB contacts Pre-school No. 21 1 47 Oligophrenia Pre-school/School No. 43 1 66 Infant cerebral palsy, delayed

mental development, abnormalities in development of extremities, Down's syndrome, microcephaly, congenital heart defects, oligophrenia

Pre-school/School No. 50 1 165 Speech defects Akhal velayat (total) 1 99 Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Byuzmein

1 99 Oligophrenia (mild degree of debility)

Balkan velayat (total) 2 220 Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Turkmenbashi

1 194 Oligophrenia (mild dergree of debility)

Pre-school No. 4, City of Turkmenbashi (sanatorium)

1 26 TB contacts

Dashoguz velayat (total) 4 523

22

Including: Auxiliary Residential School No. 1, City of Dashoguz

1 221 Debility-degree oligophrenia

Auxiliary Residential School for Deaf Children and Children with Diminished Hearing, City of Dashoguz

1

145

Impaired hearing, deafness

Nursery/Pre-school No. 13, City of Dashoguz (sanatorium)

1 92 TB contacts

Nursery/Pre-school No. 25, City of Dashoguz

1 65 Oligophrenia, logoneurosis, delayed mental development

Lebap velayat (total) 6 878 Auxiliary School No. 2, (Village of Amul) City of Turkmenabad


Auxiliary School No. 4, (Village of Amul) City of Turkmenabad


Auxiliary Residential School for Deaf Children and Children with Diminished Hearing No. 5 City of Turkmenabad

1 203 Deafness

Nursery/Pre-school No. 3, City of Turkmenabad

1 44 Infant cerebral palsy, delayed mental development, oligophrenia, logoneurosis

Nursery/Pre-school No. 9, City of Turkmenabad (sanatorium)

1 39 TB contacts

Nursery/Pre-school No. 9, City of Turkmenabad (sanatorium)

1 68 TB contacts

Mary velayat (total) 9 956 Auxiliary Residential School No. 1, City of Mary

1 106 Differing degrees of oligophrenia

Auxiliary Residential School No. 2, City of Mary

1 194 Differing degrees of oligophrenia


1 180 Differing degrees of oligophrenia, delayed mental development

Auxiliary Residential School, City of Bairamali

1 117 Oligophrenia, infant cerebral palsy

Nursery/Pre-school No. 1, Eloten District (sanatorium)

1 67 TB contacts

Nursery/Pre-school No. 1, City of Mary

1 42 Speech defects/delayed mental development

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Nursery/Pre-school No. 17, City of Mary

1 67 TB contacts

Nursery/Pre-school No.9, Turkmenkalin District

1 113 Rickets, anaemia, hernia, muscular dystrophy, allergic diathesis

Nursery/Pre-school No. 2, City of Bairamali (sanatorium)

1 70 TB contacts

Note: Classes for children with delayed mental development and pre-school institutions with special groups are not included in the above table.

13\U:\My Documents\DOCUMENTS\2002_MONEE_Papers\TURKMEN (final).doc 24

Data on the number of schoolchildren and classes in auxiliary residential schools at the start of the 2001/02 academic year Number Total including by grades of schools Prepa-

ratory groups

1st grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

4the grade

5the grade

6th grade

7th grade

8th grade

9th grade

10th grade

Total 14 NUMBER OF CLASSES 230 10 27 28 28 27 27 24 26 23 9 1

Number of students 2,533 79 270 304 290 322 327 302 284 252 97 6 Girls among them 908 29 117 97 103 123 108 108 94 85 41 3

Including: City of Ashkhabad (total) 3

NUMBER OF CLASSES 44 2 7 7 5 3 6 3 5 4 1 1 Number of students 483 18 64 81 54 40 67 39 60 47 7 6 Girls among them 181 6 39 32 21 16 17 14 22 10 1 3

Including:

AUXILIARY SCHOOL 1

NUMBER OF CLASSES 12 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 Number of students 195 21 37 16 21 33 18 29 20 Girls among them 65 7 14 7 9 9 6 9 4

Including: Residential School for Children with Diminished Hearing and Deaf Children

1

NUMBER OF CLASSES 17 2 4 3 2 1 2 1 1 1 Number of students 163 18 33 28 22 12 17 10 14 9 Girls among them 77 6 28 11 9 2 4 4 11 2

Including: Residential School for Blind and Weak-sighted Children

1

NUMBER OF CLASSES 15 1 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 Number of students 125 10 16 16 7 17 11 17 18 7 6 Girls among them 39 4 7 5 5 4 4 2 4 1 3


Velayats:

AKHAL VELAYAT (TOTAL)

1


Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Bezmeyin

1


BALKAN VELAYAT (TOTAL)

1


Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Turkmenbashi

1


DASHOGUZ VELAYAT (TOTAL)

2



1



Residential School for Children with Diminished Hearing and Deaf Children, City of Dashoguz

1


LEBAP VELAYAT (TOTAL) 3

NUMBER OF CLASSES 68 3 9 7 8 9 6 8 7 7 4 Number of students 794 24 98 95 91 118 75 96 74 71 52 Girls among them 297 11 41 32 31 43 31 37 20 28 23

Including: Auxiliary Residential School No. 2, City of Turkmenabat

1


Auxiliary Residential School No.4, City of Turkmenabat

1


Residential School for the Deaf No. 5, City of Turkmenabat

1


Classes for mentally retarded children

NUMBER OF CLASSES 5 1 1 1 2 Number of students 67 16 18 8 25 Girls among them 29 8 8 3 10

MARY VELAYAT (TOTAL) 4

NUMBER OF CLASSES 55 2 5 6 7 7 8 7 7 5 1 Number of students 597 14 54 57 65 79 101 87 73 57 10


Girls among them 192 4 18 15 21 33 33 27 19 17 5 Including:


1



1


Including: Auxiliary Residential School No. 3, City of Mary

1



1


Additionally:

Health-building Residential Country School, City of Ashkhabad

1

NUMBER OF CLASSES 7 2 3 2 Number of students 136 49 52 35 Girls among them 44 14 19 11


Data on the number of schoolchildren in auxiliary residential schools, by age, at the start of the 2001/02 academic year

Total Including by age groups: 6 y.o. 7 y.o. 8 y.o. 9 y.o. 10 y.o. 11 y.o. 12 y.o. 13 y.o. 14 y.o. 15 y.o. 16 y.o. 17 y.o. 18 y.o.

Total Number of students 2,533 27 136 213 247 287 281 334 321 314 220 121 28 4 Girls among them 908 11 49 80 89 109 108 111 113 107 74 48 7 2

Including: City of Ashkhabad (total)

Number of students 483 1 33 43 48 58 47 55 71 50 40 28 9 Girls among them 181 1 12 24 16 24 23 14 21 16 15 13 2

Including:

Auxiliary School

Number of students 195 1 13 14 26 22 23 40 24 21 8 3 Girls among them 65 7 5 13 10 6 12 5 5 2

Residential School for Children with Diminished Hearing and Deaf Children

Number of students 163 26 18 20 18 12 17 16 14 7 15 Girls among them 77 12 11 6 6 5 5 6 10 7 9

Residential School for Blind and Weak-sighted Children

Number of students 125 1 6 12 14 14 13 15 15 12 12 5 6 Girls among them 39 1 6 5 5 8 3 3 1 3 2 2

Velayats:

Akhal velayat (total)

Number of students 99 4 11 23 9 10 9 10 16 7 Girls among them 33 2 1 6 4 3 3 4 6 4

Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Bezmeyin

Number of students 99 4 11 23 9 10 9 10 16 7


Girls among them 33 2 1 6 4 3 3 4 6 4

Balkan velayat (total)


Including: Auxiliary Residential School, City of Turkmenbashi


Dashoguz velayat (total)

Number of students 366 7 26 47 37 30 37 51 54 30 38 6 2 1 Girls among them 129 3 3 18 16 11 16 19 19 15 7 2



Residential School for Children with Diminished Hearing and Deaf Children, City of Dashoguz

Number of students 145 4 7 17 15 11 19 18 23 9 13 6 2 1 Girls among them 46 2 1 8 4 1 5 7 8 6 2 2

Lebap velayat (total)

Number of students 794 6 35 59 81 91 102 98 76 105 75 50 13 3 Girls among them 297 3 18 26 31 31 36 36 26 34 31 19 4 2

Including:


Auxiliary Residential School No. 2, City of Turkmenabat

Number of students 243 13 20 23 21 37 27 24 27 20 24 6 1 Girls among them 86 6 7 10 5 10 11 11 6 10 8 1 1

Auxiliary Residential School No. 4, City of Turkmenabat

Number of students 281 3 6 17 34 35 39 33 31 37 19 18 7 2 Girls among them 97 1 4 8 10 12 13 9 9 13 8 6 3 1

Residential School for the Deaf No. 5, City of Turkmenabat

Number of students 203 3 16 22 22 21 22 24 21 33 16 3 Girls among them 85 2 8 11 10 7 11 10 6 12 6 2

Classes for mentally retarded children

Number of students 67 2 14 4 14 8 20 5 Girls among them 29 1 7 2 6 3 7 3

Mary velayat (total)

Number of students 597 13 38 51 45 84 70 82 84 79 38 12 1 Girls among them 192 4 14 10 17 29 23 24 32 23 11 5


Number of students 106 3 12 6 20 14 16 11 13 7 4 Girls among them 27 4 3 5 3 4 3 2 2 1


Number of students 194 7 19 24 21 23 19 22 20 21 14 4 Girls among them 59 2 6 2 9 8 8 7 6 5 5 1


Number of students 180 6 11 7 10 22 28 30 33 29 3 1 Girls among them 59 2 7 1 3 8 9 8 11 9 1




Additionally:

Health-building Residential Country School, City of Ashkhabad

Number of students 136 49 52 35 Girls among them 44 14 19 11

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