Every year, in all schools and public offices in Turkmenistan, must buy an hung in the walls an updated version of the President’s portrait. Which remind me a joke during the dictatorship years of Greece when a schoolteacher distributed pictures of the three leaders of the 1967 coup and said. “Take the pictures home, hung them on the wall and tomorrow you will tell me which one you hanged and why”.
Next day, the children begun proudly explaining the picture of whom they hanged in the wall and why. When the turn of Dennis came he said, “none” and teatcher, rather ashtonished, asked, “why” and Dennis said, “I asked my mother and she said, better wait for your father to return from eile and we will hang them all together”.
In North Korea, the biggest news for day was the visit of Supreme Leader, Chairman of Workers Party, Chairman of …etc., etc., etc., visited a …bier factory.
At the same time in Bishkek, the British Ambassador visited the Deputy Foreign Minister, to secure economic cooperation to …counterbalance the EU Brexit losses, with business with . Kyrgyzstan.
Schools in Turkmenistan to update portraits of the President and install carpets

Ashgabat: By 5 February, 2020 new carpets are scheduled to be installed and new portraits of the President are expected to be hung in all school and pre-school educational establishments of Lebap velayat.

Let us recall that portraits of the President are required to be updated in Turkmenistan’s schools on an annual basis.
Correspondents of  “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that the executives of the velayat’s school board made  this announcement at the meeting bringing together principals of rural schools and kindergartens in early January.
There should be a hand-made carpet from natural wool with predominant white colour on the floor of each playroom in the kindergarten. The carpet must be made in Akhal or Balkan. The minimum price for such a carpet amounts to 1400 manats.
The perplexed staff of kindergartens were not given any official explanation as to why the carpets should necessarily come from Akhal or Balkan despite the fact that local carpets made in Kerki or Khalach are cheaper.
A portrait, also from Akhal or Balkan, of no less than 1,5×2 meters, must be placed on the wall featuring an updated portrait of the President with gray hair (see photo). Due to increased demand the price for portraits has gone up to 400 manats.
Staff and parents are now making money contributions of 70 manats per child in schools and kindergartens.
In some schools discontented teachers said that in such cases school principals should use the money which schools make by growing cotton or wheat on their plots of land. It should be pointed out that the majority of rural schools in the velayat, except those located in sandy districts, have 1 to 2 hectares of land allocated to them in order to grow agricultural produce.
However, the department of education claims that the cash from the sold crops belongs to them rather than the school and consequently the school administration is not entitled to dispose of this money. On the contrary, school and kindergarten principals were threatened with dismissal in case they fail to obey the decision made by the department of education to replace portraits by 5 February.
Radio “Azatlyk” has previously reported that pursuant to the instruction of the authorities the portraits must be replaced in all state-run agencies and organizations.
 
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan