Education - The Times Of Central Asia

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Lessons in Self-Defense for Kindergarten Kazakhs

From September 1, Kazakhstan will introduce “Personal Safety” lessons to the curricula of its kindergartens, schools, and colleges. Developed by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education, the program of 130 training sessions aims to teach children the basics of self-defense and develop a responsible attitude towards their own and others' safety. According to Nasymzhan Ospanova, Chair of the Committee for the Protection of Children's Rights, the lessons are tempered according to the children's age and developmental level to help motivate and support participants. Conducted in batches of weekly ten-minute classes, repeated three times a year, the training courses will include practical tips, games, interactive teaching methods, demonstrations, and videos, making the material accessible and exciting for children of all ages. It is worth noting that over the past three years, the number of children who have committed criminal offenses has increased by 20.3%. In 2023 alone, 1,823 juveniles were convicted. In most cases, crimes are committed by teenagers 16 - 17 years old (80.4%), with about 93.6% of juvenile offenders being boys. Statistics confirm that crime is higher among those with little education and those living in difficult situations. Thus, the share of those who neither study and nor work is 51.9%, the share of those who study in colleges is 26.9%, and in schools, gymnasiums, and lyceums, 20.6%.

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With the Russian Language Waning in Central Asia, Will Other Languages Replace It?

Russian is still the most widespread foreign language in Kazakhstan, though its role is declining there, and across Central Asia in general. At the same time, the people of the region have been slow to learn other languages, in part due to economic factors such as slowing globalization, according to the Kazakhstani political analyst Zamir Karazhanov, who is head of the Kemel Arna Public Foundation. The language of cities Since declaring independence in 1991, all the counties of Central Asia have made promoting their national languages a priority. But foreign languages, which link the region with the rest of the world, have also historically been seen as critical. In practice, however, the study and use of foreign languages other than Russian is not widespread. The Russian language is losing its prominence in Kazakhstan as the number of ethnic Russians declines. According to official statistics, as of January 1, 2024, Russians made up 14.89% of the country’s population, down from close to 40% in 1989. Nevertheless, thanks to the education system and Kazakhstan’s proximity to Russia, the level of proficiency in Russian remains high. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian is a second official language. In Tajikistan, it is called the “language of interethnic communication”. In Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, however, it does not have an official status. More than 90% of Kazakhstanis know Russian to some degree, while 20% of the population considers it their native language. Meanwhile, those figures for Turkmenistan are 40% and 12% respectively. In Kyrgyzstan, about 44% know Russian and 5% consider it their native language; in Uzbekistan, it is about 50% and 2.7%; and in Tajikistan, 55% and 0.3%. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about the need to preserve the Russian language in Kazakhstan, and the unacceptability of language-based discrimination. Last year, he unveiled the International Russian Language Organization, established by the CIS Heads of State Council. “The new organization is open to all countries and, of course, very relevant from the point of view of global humanitarian cooperation,” explained Tokayev, while underlining that measures to promote the Russian language in the Eurasia region and elsewhere are congruous with the trend of strengthening national identities. “Kazakhstan will continue the policy of bolstering the status of the state language of Kazakh,” Tokayev said at the time. Today, Kazakhstan has many Russian-language media, while Russian remains the lingua franca at meetings among post-Soviet countries. Even though Russian is concentrated in big cities, all Kazakhstanis receive a significant amount of western and other foreign news from Russian sources. “Russian is spoken in most of Kazakhstan. In the biggest city, Almaty, communicating in Russian is not a problem. But, if you move 30-50 km outside the city, it gets harder to speak it. Russian is the language of cities and the language of interethnic interaction,” the political analyst Karazhanov told The Times of Central Asia. “Of course, the number of native speakers of the Kazakh language is growing, and the number of Russian speakers is declining, but Kazakh...

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Turkmenistan Supports Japanese Language Exam

The official website of the Embassy of Japan in Turkmenistan reports that Ashgabat will host the second Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) on December 1, 2024, with applications accepted from 26-30 August. JLPT, the most comprehensive exam in the Japanese language in both Japan and abroad to assess the skills of foreign citizens, comprises five levels - from N1-N5- and the cost of participation varies according to grade. In 2022, the Dovletmamed Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages signed a contract with the Government of Japan to implement the “Japanese Language Teaching Equipment Project Grant.” The project includes re-equipping three university classrooms to provide language laboratories, facilities for simultaneous translation, and rooms designated for Japanese language teachers.

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UN Launches Projects to Improve Health and Environment in the Aral Sea Region

The UN has launched two new projects to address environmental and health issues in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. These projects are “Enhancing Climate-Resilient and Safe Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health Services for the Most Affected Communities in Four Districts of Karakalpakstan,” and the joint project between its development programme (UNDP) and its food and agriculture organization (FAO), "Building Knowledge and Skills of Local Partners and Communities to Address Environmental Insecurities through Innovative Air, Land, and Water Management Solutions in the Aral Sea Region.” “The launch of these projects marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to address the Aral Sea Region's profound environmental and health challenges," said Sabine Machl, the UN's Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan. "By fostering resilience through innovative solutions in water management, health services, and community empowerment, we are laying the groundwork for a sustainable future in Karakalpakstan.” The project between the UNDP and FAO aims to increase the knowledge and skills needed by local partners and communities to solve environmental security problems. It also aims to develop practical solutions for managing air, land and water, enabling communities to adapt to and mitigate climate change. In addition, within the project's framework, special attention will be paid to introducing new approaches to water treatment, forest restoration, and soil stabilization in the region. These activities have the potential to directly benefit over 376,000 residents of the three northern districts of Moynaq, Kungrad, and Takhtakupir in Karakalpakstan, particularly women in at-risk communities. The indirect impact will extend to 200,000 more people and build on the results of the previous projects. On 16 August, the UN programme “Laying the Foundations for People-Centered, Climate-Resilient Primary Health Care and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices at Healthcare Facilities and Schools” was officially completed. During his visit to Karakalpakstan on August 19, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the establishment of the Aral Sea Region International Innovation Center to improve the ecosystem and create new varieties and seeds in a saline, water-less environment. $80 million will be allocated to mitigate the consequences of climate change in the Aral Sea region. The Times of Central Asia has published several articles about the problems arising from the drying up the Aral Sea and the work being done to combat this.

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Turkmen Student Wins UNESCO Prize in AI Competition

Abdyleziz Saryev, a student from Turkmenistan's International University of Humanities and Development, has won the award for "Best Idea and Approach" at the third UNESCO International Model competiton on the ethics of using artificial intelligence in education. The event's final stage was held from August 12-14 in Almaty, and Saryev won the jury's recognition against stiff competition from students from 52 countries. In addition to Saryev, awards were given to representatives of Egypt and Hong Kong. Students from these countries were recognized for "Best Paper" and "Best Presentation", respectively. The Third UNESCO International Model is an educational event in which students try on the role of representatives of UNESCO member states by simulating official UNESCO meetings. Participants get an opportunity to study in-depth the international problems related to the use of AI, and propose solutions for their implementation in the education system.

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UNICEF: Central Asia Must Work To Keep Children Out Of Alternative Care

About 60,000 children across the five Central Asian countries remain in alternative, care despite the known and devastating effects of family separation and child institutionalization, according to a new policy report released by UNICEF. Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, highlighted the dire and lifelong consequences of institutionalization for children and stressed the need for more investment in family support services. “We have seen progress in recent years in reducing the number of children in alternative care – including the closure of institutions. We must continue this work so that no child is ever placed in alternative care because of poverty, disability or challenging behavior, or because their family lacks access to services they need to care for their child at home,” she said. The report states that 203 children per 100,000 in the region live in care institutions, nearly double the world average of 105 per 100,000. While progress has been made in reducing the overall number of children in institutions, the report notes that children with disabilities are disproportionately represented in these homes. Between 2015 and 2021, the proportion of children with disabilities in residential institutions increased in all Central Asian countries except Kazakhstan, indicating persistent social norms and a lack of social services for these children. UNICEF emphasizes the need to close institutions and support families to prevent unnecessary placement of children in residential care. The organization offers a comprehensive approach to ensure that all children, regardless of their circumstances, grow up in a family environment: 1. Implement effective childcare reforms to keep children with their families where possible, including planning to close large-scale institutions and develop a comprehensive continuum of child and family support and protection services. 2. Investment in a range of child and family support services, including statutory family support services and a strong social service workforce, for the early identification of and intervention in situations when children are at risk of separation. 3. Securing family-based alternative care, including stronger support for extended family members who care for children and strategies to keep siblings together where possible. 4. Protecting children who are already in alternative care against violence, neglect, and abuse through robust safeguarding policies and practices. 5. Investing in more and better data on children who are at risk of family separation, in alternative care, or who have left care. 6. Raising public awareness of the benefits of keeping families together and the urgent need to prioritize family-based care. 7. Ensuring that children have a voice in the decisions that affect them and are consulted when new policies and practices are developed to meet their needs and rights. UNICEF works with governments and partners in Central Asia to keep and support families and community-based care. This also includes implementing deinstitutionalization policies, expanding family support services to prevent separation, а family reunification, and facilitating safe transitions to independent living.