Emma Harden-Wolfson

Higher Education in Central Asia Blog (est. 2011)

  • Kazakhstan-Japan Students Forum

    I’m always interested to learn more about countries with an interest in Central Asian higher education and it’s especially nice to hear about connections being made outside of the “usual” suspects (e.g. UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Switzerland). Here is a republication of a story from the University of Tsukuba in Japan about a Kazakhstan-Japan Students… Read more

  • Postgrad education – any glimmer of hope for the future?

    Since the publication of the Browne Report in 2010 (which recommended much greater freedom in setting tuition fees for undergraduates which was ‘in effect a carte blanche to charge more), UK universities have been spending a lot of time over the past couple of years soul searching and hand wringing about the future of higher education. This has… Read more

  • A monument for all seasons: honouring teachers in Kazakhstan

    There is something very Soviet/Central Asian about putting up monuments, and it’s definitely a fashionable thing to do at the moment (recent achievements include the world’s tallest flagpole in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan has the world record for the largest Ferris wheel). Today I can report that Kazakhstan is planning to build the country’s first monument ‘dedicated to… Read more

  • Youth and Public Policy in Kyrgyzstan

    A report has been published [en] [ru] today which for the first time attempts to undertake an audit of the relationship between young people and public policy in contemporary Kyrgyzstan. Whilst I haven’t been able to read it in full, it looks like a sincere and thorough attempt to map the landscape, highlight weaknesses (many,… Read more

  • Tajik higher education: dress smart and pay up

    Hello! Long time, no see… It’s been an eventful summer with the events in Khorog, Tajikistan causing us great concern and anxiety. Life appears to be normalising again and I do hope the current calm prevails. On the home front I have been elected Chair of the Governing Body at our local primary school and… Read more

  • University of Central Asia public lecture on education and identity among Pamiri youth – 22 August, Bishkek

    This lecture looks really interesting. I can’t attend (being in Oxford, not Bishkek at the moment!) but if any readers go, I’d love to hear your comments. Here is the info from University of Central Asia’s website: http://www.ucentralasia.org/news.asp?Nid=384 Education, Identity and Resilience among Gorno-Badakhshan Pamiri Youth by Carole Faucher Speaker:  Carole Faucher Date: 22 August… Read more