UNESCO IITE Director Tao Zhan, along with IITE Team members Mr. Tigran Yepoyan, Chief of the Unit of ICT in Health Education, and Ms. Tatiana Murovana, Programme Specialist of the Unit of Digital Pedagogy and Learning Materials, paid an official visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in the last week of August.
The main purpose of the visit was to participate in the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, titled “The Potential of Artificial Intelligence for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal for Education”, which took place on August 29, 2025.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), and was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing both onsite and online participation of scientists and educators from Turkmenistan and other countries. The primary objective of the Conference was to discuss and promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into national and global educational systems, and to facilitate the exchange of best practices and scientific achievements in this field.
The Conference featured opening remarks from Mr. Tao Zhan of UNESCO IITE, Ms. Shafika Isaacs representing UNESCO Education Sector, and Mr. Azat Atayev, Vice Minister of Education of Turkmenistan. Mr. Tigran Yepoyan and Ms. Tatiana Murovana made keynote presentations at the plenary session along with Professor Huang Ronghuai, Dean of Smart Learning Institute (SLI), Beijing Normal University, UNESCO Chair on AI in Education and Ms. BI Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO International Center for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI).
Ms. Natalia Amelina, Chief of the Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking, and Mr. Oleg Akimov, Programme Specialist of the same unit, along with experts from IITE’s close partner organizations – such as the Higher School of Economics, the Russian Academy of Education and others – participated in the conference online.
The Conference served as a platform for exchanging knowledge and experience related to the implementation of AI technologies, and for developing joint strategies to advance education in the digital era. Participants explored best practices, discussed current challenges and opportunities, and formed partnerships for future collaborative projects. Particular emphasis was placed on the role of AI in personalizing learning, fostering critical thinking, and adapting educational programs to meet modern societal needs.
The Conference is expected to create a supportive environment for the implementation of innovative AI-based projects, which will enhance the competitiveness of the national education system and contribute to the country’s sustainable development.
During the visit, Mr. Tao Zhan and the IITE Team met with representatives from the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, rectors, deans, instructors, and students from various higher education institutions, including Turkmen State University, International Oil and Gas University, and the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics.