The world is a different place these days as COVID-19 spreads its wings in all directions (officially reaching Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan by the time of writing on March 18). When we look back on these unusual times, I think we will see that coronavirus achieved what no politician, activist, or movement has yet managed …
Tag: women
International Women’s Day: Celebrating female success, still marching for progress
If cats did celebrations... PS Women: you don't need a cat to be successful. But you knew that already. 8th March saw the annual marking of International Women's Day (IWD), which is a formal opportunity to celebrate female success on the one hand, but also a time to lament the continued global persistence of male-dominated …
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Lift off! Kyrgyz Space Program launches its next phase
The all-female team at Kyrgyz Space Program had the idea first! As some of you know, I am an enthusiastic supporter of a brilliant initiative for girls and young women in Kyrgyzstan called the Kyrgyz Space Program. The Kyrgyz Space Program is aiming high: specifically, into space. They plan to build and launch Kyrgyzstan's first …
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Supporting female students in Tajikistan
Female students in Tajikistan are to get a boost from the new Intellect centre at Khorog State University. Opened with a US$40k grant from the World Bank/Ministry of Education, the centre aims to support women's learning by improving their living and studying conditions as well as their academic preparation. Female students from all regions of Tajikistan living …
On the slow progress on women’s rights in Uzbekistan
With the opening up of Uzbekistan under President Mirziyoyev, I have been able to expand my blog's coverage beyond my traditional territories of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The dominant narratives for higher education in Uzbekistan over the past couple of years have been the dizzying speed of reforms and the massive drive to internationalize the …
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#scienceiamdoing – Kazakh women tell all about research and life abroad
Over on Kazakh social media, something rather brilliant is happening. At the end of March, a new Yvision (a trilingual Kazakh blogging platform) blog was set up to support an Instagram account that's already been in operation for several months. The aim of the blog and Instagram accounts are to promote a very exciting project: #KZPHDGIRLSUNION The …
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Empowering girls through education in Tajikistan
Happy new year! I hope that 2019 will bring you health and happiness, and I hope that the world becomes a slightly more sensible place this year (I can hope, right?). Kicking off the year is a wonderful story about an inspiring teacher in rural Tajikistan who over the course of many years has shown …
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University admissions in Tajikistan: Who wants to be an engineer?
It’s university admissions season in Tajikistan and as a record number of school leavers sit the nationwide university entrance exams, ever-reliable news outlet Asia-Plus took a look at the prospects for the class of 2021. This unified nationwide testing system was introduced in 2013 as part of a project funded by the World Bank and …
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The power of education: A journey from the mountains of Khorog, Tajikistan, to a world stage
Muslima Niyozmamadova, a high school student from Tajikistan studying at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, is a powerful and uplifting example of how one person's journey in life can drive them to seek change and how education can provide the tools to make that change. Niyozmamadova has made two big moves already in her short years, firstly …
Women in higher education in Central Asia
Did you know that as far back as the 1970s - an era when most of Europe and North America was only just waking up to the idea of mass higher education - that more women than men were enrolled in universities in the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan? And did you also know that these impressively …
Emma Sabzalieva 