@Fergana.agency

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Local Politics, Uzbekistan Local Politics

Uzbekistan’s Schoolchildren to Sit International PISA Tests

In 2025, Uzbekistan, with the support of the World Bank, will participate  in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with pilot testing starting this May.

PISA testing assesses the ability of students from more than 80 countries in their knowledge and skills in reading, math and science.

When allocating funding for PISA testing in 2019, World Bank experts noted the acute shortage of teachers and their low qualifications and in addition,  the absence of means to assess  both the quality of preschool education and a comfortable environment for learning.

“Investing in children’s early education is one of the most effective ways to develop human capital, which in turn will stimulate economic growth in the country,” Hideki Mori, the head of the World Bank’s representative office in Uzbekistan, said at the time.

Last year’s test results placed Uzbek schoolchildren in the bottom ten  of the 80 participant countries. The cause indicated significant problems within the domestic education system and subsequent data revealed a direct correlation between test results and  families’ socioeconomic status.

To address the issue,  officials plan to allocate more than $3.7 billion for schools and school education curricula this year.

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Times of Central Asia

@1000logos.net

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

EBRD Launches New Training Program for Female Entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Women in Microbusiness training program is being launched in Kazakhstan to support women entrepreneurs facing social or economic obstacles in their business activities.

Statistics show that whilst  women manage 49 percent of all micro and small-sized businesses  in Kazakhstan, their representation in medium and large business sectors is only 36 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Reporting on the initiative, Alma Kasymova, head of the EBRD’s SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) Program in Kazakhstan, stated, “Our main goal and mission is to empower women entrepreneurs to grow and develop their micro-enterprises through affordable and quality training. We are confident that this program will help participants to expand their competencies and open new perspectives in larger business segments.”

The training, conducted online in Kazakh and Russian, will run for five months and comprise six business modules in marketing, sales, finance, human resources, operational management, strategic planning, as well as automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants will be able to enrol at any time convenient for them.  .

Welcoming its launch, an EBRD spokesperson announced, “This is the third implementation of the program -realized in collaboration with the training and consulting company Dialog . Previous projects allowed almost 1,500 women entrepreneurs to strengthen their skills and improve their businesses. “

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Times of Central Asia

@senate.parlam.kz

03 May 2024
Central Asia, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Transshipment of Russian Oil Through Kazakhstan to China to Become More Expensive

The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved an increase in the cost of transit of Russian oil across Kazakhstan to China. At the same time, the volume of transportation will increase to ten million tons annually from the previous figure of seven.

The document amends the agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on the transportation of hydrocarbons through the territory of the Republic. The prior agreement was signed in December 2013. According to the new amendments, the tariff for transit on the pipeline section Tuimazy-Omsk-Novosibirsk (TON) will be set at $2.1 per ton, and through the territory of Kazakhstan – $15 per ton.

According to Senator Suindik Aldashev, the agreement will be valid until January 1, 2034. Earlier, Kazakhstan Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliev said that Rosneft has signed an agreement with SNPS-Aktobemunaigas, which is controlled by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to supply 100 million tons of oil over a period of ten years.

The extension of the agreement will ensure that the Pavlodar petrochemical refining plant will be loaded with oil that comes through the Omsk-Pavlodar pipeline. It’s forecasted that the Kazakh side’s profit from transportation tariffs could reach $1.7 billion.

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Times of Central Asia

Image: kabar.kg

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Home, Life & Culture, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture, Kyrgyzstan, Features, Kyrgyzstan Features

Kyrgyz Authorities Believe Negligence Caused Truck to Hit Students

Kyrgyzstan’s president has ordered the transfer by plane of ten seriously injured children to Bishkek for medical treatment after a truck hit students who had assembled on a hillside for a storytelling competition, Kyrgyz media reported on Friday.

About 30 people were injured in the incident in the Suzak district, Jalal-Abad region on Thursday, prompting President Sadyr Japarov to form a commission to investigate what authorities believe was an act of negligence. The driver of the truck was arrested, though early reports said the truck was empty when it rolled through the crowd of students. Video captured the moment as young people, some standing in formation, scattered or were caught in the path of the vehicle.

“The accident was caused by negligence and non-compliance with safety rules,” said Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers.

“There were many shortcomings in organizational work. Organizers should take into account all safety rules which were necessary. For example, special places for cars should not be allowed into the crowded area. This kind of accident is caused by neglecting such small things,” Tashiev said. Kabar, the state-run news agency, quoted him as saying there was no indication that terrorism was involved.

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“Patriot box” vending machine, Moscow; image: TCA, Aleksandr Potolitsyn/Stephen M. Bland

03 May 2024
Central Asia, Home, International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Features, Kyrgyzstan Features

Kyrgyzstan Again Tells Citizens: For Now, Don’t Go to Russia

Kyrgyzstan has again urged its citizens to avoid travel to Russia if possible, citing media reports of “the mass refusal of entry” and saying people should wait until Russia lifts tighter security measures at its border points.

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “recommends that fellow citizens who do not have compelling reasons to travel to the Russian Federation temporarily refrain from traveling to its territory until the previously introduced additional security measures and the regime of enhanced control of entry across the state border are lifted, and if they need to leave, check in advance for any restrictions on entry to the Russian Federation,” according to a ministry statement on Thursday.

The ministry issued a similar call to delay trips to Russia days after gunmen killed more than 140 people at the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22, leading to a backlash of suspicion, harassment and violence in Russia towards Central Asian migrants. Several of the detained subjects were from Tajikistan, which last weekend urged its own citizens to skip travel to Russia “unless absolutely necessary,” amid concerns about hundreds of Tajik nationals who were being held in unsanitary conditions at detention facilities in Moscow airports.

Russia has sought to ease tension with Tajikistan, saying anti-terrorism measures were being implemented and that Tajik citizens had not been targeted for mistreatment. Fissures in its relationship with Tajikistan are extremely rare. Russia has also tried to mollify Kyrgyzstan over a Russian police search of the Moscow apartment of a Kyrgyz diplomat last month.

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USAID Turkmenistan

03 May 2024
Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Home, Turkmenistan Life & Culture, Turkmenistan Business & Economy, Turkmenistan Environment

USAID Funds Improved Water Management in Turkmenistan

On 2 May the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Committee for Water Resources of Turkmenistan launched a new metering system to measure water flow on the Karakum River near Ashgabat.

Financed with a grant from USAID Central Asia’s Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity, the system offers a powerful means by which the country can sustain water availability and build climate resilience. As reported by the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan, by providing real-time data to the State Committee for Water Resources, the new system will enable a more efficient allocation of water to agriculture, households, and industry.

The World Bank has forecast that because of climate change, the volume of water flowing from tributaries of the Amu Darya River into Turkmenistan could drop by 25% in July and August, and consequently could impact supplies of drinking water and water needed to produce wheat and cotton.

Within this context, the new metering system will provide the invaluable information about flow rates and water withdrawals on the Karakum River and in turn, allow the government to advise farmers of the precise amount of water needed for crop growth.

 

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