Emma Harden-Wolfson

Higher education in Central Asia blog

  • Skills deficit will bring Tajikistan to its knees; education and training must be prioritised

    Avaz Saifiddinov, a journalist with as-independent-as-is-possible-in-Tajikistan Asia-Plus media group, this week reports [ru] – in almost apocalyptic terms – on the devastating impact that a lack of education and skills training can bring to a nation. He calls this qualification deficit the single biggest problem facing Tajikistan today, more so than corruption, lack of electricity… Read more

  • Exciting positions at the European School in Central Asia

    I don’t usually post job vacancies here, but I’m excited to share these positions at the European School in Central Asia with you: http://www.europeanschool.kg/work-with-us/employment/current-vacancies/. Can I particularly draw your attention to the Head of Education vacancy? The School is based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and is committed to providing children with a high quality education that will… Read more

  • More on Nazarbayev University

    I try not to blindly copy and paste articles about Central Asian higher education so I’m passing on today’s link with a little bit of hesitation. The reason for this is that the article takes an uncritical approach to the subject. Whilst the article is factual and informative, it’s not controversial (in its true meaning… Read more

  • More independence for Kazakh universities?

    A detailed and interesting story from Kazakh news agency Tengri News today, reporting on a recent conference for higher education leaders in the country. There is reportedly a strong move towards offering greater independence to universities in the country on everything from curriculum to revenue streams. I couldn’t quite work out from the story why… Read more

  • Failing to get to university, failing to get a job

    Two stories about 30% today, both – sadly – focussing on failure. First, from Kazakhstan where EurasiaNet reports that nearly 30% of high (secondary) school leavers failed to pass their final exams. These standardised exams pave the way for entry to university, determining who can go, who gets state funding, and who is going to… Read more

  • A growing protest culture in Kyrgyzstan?

    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.… Read more