Based in Turkmenabat, the second city of Turkmenistan, TDMugi is among the oldest institutions of higher education in the formerly Soviet Central Asian republic.
The Institute has a tradition of teacher-training dating back to the first half of the 20th century. Its importance at the intersection of politics and education was demonstrated in 2020 when its rector Orazgeldyi Gurbanov became minister of education.
The Institute¡¯s five buildings each accommodate one of its faculties: natural science and mathematics, social science and humanities, Turkmen language and literature, and foreign language and literature. The faculty of professional development (also known as advanced training) was set up in 2012 to "identify, study and implement best practice". It currently prioritises digital education and improving foreign-language teaching.
The first stone of a new complex with capacity for 5,000 students was laid ceremonially in the summer of 2023, following international competition for the construction project. This will roughly double the capacity of TDMugi, which enrolled 5,324 students across 17 specialisms in 2023.
These specialisms include six languages ¨C Russian, Mandarin English, German, Persian and Turkmen ¨C eight subject disciplines, courses focused on preschool and primary education, and physical education.
Students are recruited on the basis of written examinations tailored to their intended specialism, sat along with a paper on the history of Turkmenistan. Physical education gives priority to applicants who have won international competitions or played for national teams in the last four years.
