On February 16, professional development courses in Persian language and literature have been commenced for faculty and students across five higher education institutions in Turkmenistan. The courses are led by Iranian instructors, Dr. Shahnaz Ahmadi Gader and Dr. Tahmineh Sheykhi, and are hosted at the following universities: Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly; State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan; Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; Turkmen National Institute of World Languages named after Dovletmammet Azadi; Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute named after Seyitnazar Seydi.

The opening ceremony of the courses was attended by H.E. Ali Mojtaba Rouzbehani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan; Orazgeldi Owezsahedov, Rector of Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly; Abdolreza Abbasi, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of the I.R. Iran in Turkmenistan; the Iranian professors, as well as the course participants.

Rector Orazgeldi Owezsahedov expressed his satisfaction with the organization of the courses featuring Iranian professors. He thanked the Iranian Embassy and the Cultural Center for their assistance in conducting the classes, noting that this initiative was a result of a meeting between the leadership of the Iranian diplomatic mission and representatives of Turkmen universities held last month. Furthermore, the Rector requested the Iranian instructors to assess the participants' engagement, their diligence in language learning, their comprehension of the material, and to conduct a final evaluation.

In his welcoming remarks, Cultural Counselor Abdolreza Abbasi expressed gratitude to the Saadi Foundation, as well as to the leadership of both countries, for their support and the agreements reached. Introducing the Iranian professors, he emphasized that their high professionalism and experience would significantly contribute to enhancing the knowledge level of faculty, students, and all Persian language learners. This, in turn, will positively impact the development of cultural and scientific ties between Iran and Turkmenistan. Mr. Abbasi also stated the Iranian side's readiness to organize longer-term courses in the future in cooperation with the Saadi Foundation and Turkmen universities, including programs for the professional development of Turkmen philology instructors, both in Iran and Turkmenistan.

In their brief speeches, the Iranian professors, Dr. Shahnaz Ahmadi Gader and Dr. Tahmineh Sheykhi, thanked the Embassy's Cultural Center and the university administrations for organizing the courses. They presented a detailed plan for the upcoming sessions, noting that the ten-day period would involve intensive work aimed at improving the participants' linguistic and conversational skills in Persian. Special attention will be paid to introducing new teaching methodologies, which will help refine and enhance the process of teaching the Persian language.

Following the official part, the guests visited two classrooms and a lounge area prepared for the sessions and familiarized themselves with the facilities provided.

It should be noted that the faculty and students participating in the Persian language and literature professional development courses will take an exam on the material covered on the final day of the program. All participants will receive certificates from the Cultural Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran indicating their attained proficiency level. The training sessions will continue from February 16 to February 26, 2026.

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