Comparative and International Higher Education Policy Specialist; Focus on Central Asia
I've recently returned from Washington DC, USA, where this year's Comparative & International Education Society (CIES) conference took place. A huge gathering of over 3,000 education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, the conference opened many valuable spaces for learning, (re)connecting, and sharing research and ideas. Members of the GPE KIX research team with then Kyrgyz Minister …
Continue reading Educating for inclusion beyond the pandemic – Learning from Central Asia
With borders still closed and Covid cases on the rise, many of the 26,000 or so Tajik students who study in Russia each year remain stuck at home. With around five million students (a massive number but actually only 2% of the world's student population) studying abroad, Tajikistan's international students are far from being alone. …
Continue reading Distance learning feels very distant in Tajikistan
While many countries are still pondering what to do with students come the new school year in September 2020, Kazakhstan - currently under a state imposed quarantine for a second time - has announced its back-to-school plan. If you're ready, open your laptop... most students in Kazakhstan aren't yet leaving their house to go back …
Continue reading Kazakhstan publishes its back-to-school plan
Around the world, stories are emerging sharing the experiences of students, teachers and families as they adjust to the 'new normal' of distance learning while schools are shut and universities have switched to online delivery. Below is a recent article from Gazeta.uz reporting from Uzbekistan on university students' adaptation - it's in Russian but you …
Continue reading Adapting to online learning in Uzbekistan (Gazeta.uz)
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)
With the world's attention drawn to the coronavirus pandemic for the foreseeable future, this week's post looks at the current impact of Covid-19 on education in Central Asia. First, a few shout outs to others reporting on the spread of coronavirus in the region. For general updates on what's happening across Central Asia, check out …
More MOOC madness? The trend in higher education for MOOCs - massive open online courses - shows no sign of abating. We're now five years on from the so-called Year of the MOOC in 2012 and whilst MOOCs don't make the headlines so often any more, the number of courses and providers continues to mushroom. In 2016, …
Continue reading MOOC, meet Kazakhstan: Surfing a new wave of MOOC innovation
Emma Sabzalieva 