Updated Dec 2020: You can now watch a video of the seminar. I'm giving a seminar on October 1 (9am Eastern, 2pm UK, 6pm Dushanbe) about my recently completed doctoral work and would love to see you there. It's being hosted by the Centre for Global Higher Education, an international research centre with hubs at …
Category: Kyrgyzstan
Nine years of blogging later…
Cat memes are now an integral part of the blog. I started to include them after a friend suggested (jokingly??) that I should add cat pics to increase readership... I started this blog back in September 2011 after completing my Master's degree and having had the chance to write my final report about a subject …
Making it easier for international students to work in Russia
New regulations in Russia are making it easier for international students to work whilst studying
Back to school in Central Asia
Covid-cat is ready to go back to school (if it's open) The impending start of the 2020/21 school year is presenting challenges for teachers, students, parents, and governments around the world. Although some countries have managed to come up with a plan, many are still fumbling in the COVID-19 induced darkness, even with September just …
Watch/listen again: My SCOLAR Talk on higher education in Central Asia
Screenshot from my SCOLAR Talk on August 13, 2020 with Olesya Dovgalyuk Thanks to everyone who tuned in live last week to watch my SCOLAR Talk with the talented Olesya Dovgalyuk. We had a great time chatting about everything from Ibn Sino (Avicenna) to the 400+% growth in the higher education system in contemporary Kyrgyzstan! …
Continue reading Watch/listen again: My SCOLAR Talk on higher education in Central Asia
Join me live: Thurs Aug 13 on SCOLAR Talk
Join me live at 9.30am EST / 9.30pm CST on Thursday August 13 talking higher education in Central Asia with SCOLAR Talk
You can study abroad, except where you can’t: Uzbekistan restricts students from some Kyrgyz and Tajik universities
After a minor uproar over Uzbekistan's February 2020 announcement that its students abroad should return home, the country's latest announcement about where its citizens may (and may not) study abroad was unlikely to go unnoticed - even as regional travel remains restricted as a result of Covid-19. A total of 16 universities - 8 each …
Coronavirus: The strangers reaching out to Kyrgyzstan’s lonely teenagers (BBC)
In case you missed this story of hope and friendship that was published recently on the BBC, I'm reposting it here. Written by Abdujalil Abdurasulov, the story looks at how over 100 young adult Kyrgyz volunteers are reaching out to teens around the country to offer them companionship during Covid-19. It's a wonderful initiative and …
Continue reading Coronavirus: The strangers reaching out to Kyrgyzstan’s lonely teenagers (BBC)
Kyrgyzstan: Distance-learning exposes weaknesses of education system (Eurasianet)
This is an insightful article by Bishkek-based journalist Ayzirek Imanaliyeva published in Eurasianet on some of the challenges posed by Kyrgyzstan's necessitated shift to online learning in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The article was published at https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-distance-learning-exposes-weaknesses-of-education-system. Bolsunai Turgunbayeva’s three school-age daughters take turns using her battered old smartphone. The device has become …
Continue reading Kyrgyzstan: Distance-learning exposes weaknesses of education system (Eurasianet)
Doing environmental research in Central Asia (online lecture, May 7)
It's been longer than usual since I've posted, mainly because there's not much to say about education in Central Asia that's not related to Covid-19. For a round-up of how the five states have been approaching the novel coronavirus, take a look at my April 1 post (not a joke, sadly). Since then, Tajikistan has …
Continue reading Doing environmental research in Central Asia (online lecture, May 7)
Emma Sabzalieva 