Bayramaly Education Chief Dismissed After Turkmen.news Exposed His Corruption

Nurmuhammet Sayadov, head of the education department of Bayramaly district in Mary province, was dismissed from his position on June 8, days after Turkmen.news reported that the official had remained in office despite multiple inspections, confirmed violations and longstanding allegations of corruption. Education Minister Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiyev ordered his dismissal. According to sources, prosecutors are also questioning two of his close associates who participated in Sayadov’s schemes.

Known as “Akula” (“Shark”) among colleagues because of his appetite for money and gifts, Sayadov had become one of the region’s most controversial education officials.

Turkmen.News first reported on problems in the Bayramaly education department in October 2025. According to sources, Sayadov, his deputy Arslan Batyrov and the department’s head of personnel, Magtymguly Bagshyev, established a system in which jobs in schools and kindergartens — including technical positions — were distributed in exchange for bribes.

One of the most striking examples involved an attempt to hire around 100 people as teachers despite their lack of pedagogical qualifications. Sources said that each candidate paid $300 to Sayadov and his associates.

The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Education but was not approved.

Bagshyev, meanwhile, allegedly used inspections of local schools to identify violations and then accepted bribes in exchange for overlooking them. Sources also accused him of using his position to secure jobs for relatives. At School No. 18, he arranged the employment of his wife, Yazgul Bagshyeva, as a history teacher; his cousin, Batyr Bagshyev, as a teacher of Turkmen language and literature; and the cousin’s wife, Chemen Bagshyeva, as a teacher of Russian and English. All three rarely appeared at work.

Bagshyev, whose official monthly salary is about 3,000 manats (roughly $150), built a large car wash called “Bagshy,” a name derived from his surname. The complex includes multiple repair bays that he rents out to tenants.

After publication of the October article, education minister Gurbangeldiyev traveled to Bayramaly and inspected a local school, but the only consequence for the “Shark” was a reprimand. According to sources, Sayadov then began searching for the whistleblowers who had provided information to Turkmen.news, focusing his efforts on School No. 18.

These details, along with new allegations of corruption, were described in a follow-up article published on June 4. A few days later, on Sunday, June 7, minister Gurbangeldiyev traveled to Bayramaly again. The following day, sources reported that Nurmuhammet Sayadov had been removed from office.

The fallout did not end there. Prosecutors are reportedly questioning two of the “Shark’s” closest subordinates: his deputy, Arslan Batyrov, and the head of personnel, Magtymguly Bagshyev. Orazgeldi Nepesov, head of the personnel department of the Mary regional education administration, has also lost his position.

Whether criminal proceedings will follow remains unclear.