Comparative and International Higher Education Policy Specialist; Focus on Central Asia
Not content with demanding its nationals return home from studying abroad, reports are circulating [ru] that the government of Tajikistan is now regularly monitoring these former students. Despite international borders opening for Tajiks since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Tajik government appears to be doing its best to close down opportunities …
Continue reading Study abroad returnees required to report regularly to local police in Tajikistan
Imagine you were unjustly accused of massive corruption and fired from your job. It's an indignity. But then imagine that you've been fighting for well over a decade in no fewer than 14 courts to clear your name, each time with an unsatisfactory ending - or simply no real conclusion at all. During that time, …
Tajik researcher Alexander Sodiqov, a PhD student at the University of Toronto (Canada) was arrested on Monday and his whereabouts are currently unknown. He was in Khorog, regional capital of the Autonomous Region of Gorno Badakshan in eastern Tajikistan, undertaking academic research as part of an Economic & Social Research Council (UK Research Council) funded project on …
What is it about Tajik educational leaders and fashion? Not content with the controversy this caused last year (see my articles high heels for higher learning and high heels hit the headlines), the Pro-Rector of the Tajik Pedagogical University has followed in the (high-heeled?) footsteps of his Rector Abdujabbor Rahmonov by banning several female students from class yesterday... for wearing shoes without …
Trying to catch up on reporting on Central Asian higher education, here's an article from the UK's The Guardian newspaper from October 2013 (thanks to David Wolfson for bringing it to my attention). It's on partnerships between UK universities and institutions in Uzbekistan. Full text here: UK universities move into Uzbekistan even as human rights fears grow …
Continue reading UK universities in Uzbekistan: what is the ‘right thing’ to do?
Linking closely to my most recent post about an article on growing social gaps in Kazakhstan, I read an article today about protest culture in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. As with the Kazakh story, whilst this BBC article does not directly link to higher education, there are definitely possibilities for interaction. This gives rise to some questions. …
A slightly delayed reposting of this press release from international organisation Human Rights Watch. The content is very measured but clear and has had good coverage (though still, the whole situation last week in Khorog has had no coverage in any of the main UK newspapers. I can understand why with the Olympics on our …
Continue reading Human Rights Watch on Khorog military clashes
The letter from academics at London Metropolitan University that I featured yesterday clearly ruffled some feathers at the university. In response, the Vice Chancellor of London Metropolitan University wrote this reply in the UK's Guardian newspaper (thanks to David Wolfson for spotting this): Uzbekistan projects Thursday 16 February 2012 21.00 GMT David Hardman et al …
Continue reading Education and human rights in Uzbekistan, part 2
This is a repost of an article originally published by EurasiaNet.org, available here. British Academics Slam Education Links with Uzbekistan February 16, 2012 - 11:06am Lecturers from the London Metropolitan University have called on their vice chancellor to cease all operations in Uzbekistan following a February 12 editorial in The Guardian criticizing the West for turning a blind eye …
I'd like to recommend a great article I've just read, The Soviet Fall and the Arab Spring. By an experienced human rights researcher, the article provides six ideas "about what has to happen after the revolution to make change stick". The six ideas are: 1. There is nothing inevitable about transitions to democracy 2. Guard …
Continue reading 20 years on: human rights in the post-Soviet countries
Emma Sabzalieva 