AUCA supported a rural Kyrgyz school

December 8, 2022

The American University of Central Asia handed over 20 computers to the O. Tursumatov Ber-Bulak Comprehensive School located in Ber-Bulak village in the Alamedin district of the Chui region. The school was visited by AUCA President and Vice-President of Bard College Jonathan Becker and AUCA Vice-President Chyngyz Shamshiev.

Some time ago, the school made an application to the university with a request to provide logistical assistance in providing computers. AUCA management considered this appeal and decided to support the school. On December 1, AUCA representatives visited the school and met with its students and teaching staff.

According to the director of the school Gulnara Mambetimanova, the school is designed for 191 students, but currently, 419 children study there in two shifts. Elementary school students are forced to study in three shifts. The school has one small computer science room with 11 working computers. The average class size is about 20 children. Children have to study sitting in groups of two or three at one computer, which, of course, negatively affects the learning process.

The students of the elementary classes communicated very actively with the guests and demonstrated a good knowledge of songs and poems in English and Kyrgyz. High school students were more interested in questions about studying abroad and the conditions for admission to scholarship programs at AUCA and the AUCA Technical School of Innovation.

AUCA President Jonathan Becker spoke about AUCA's commitment to supporting young individuals from poor backgrounds and promised to organize an introductory tour to AUCA and TSI for Ber-Bulak school students.

Jonathan Becker noted: "We hope that the modest support from AUCA in the form of computers will help students succeed in their studies and prepare for adulthood. We hope that some of your students will have the opportunity to study either at the AUCA Technical School of Innovation or at AUCA. AUCA is, first of all, a Kyrgyz–American university, and we need to support the society of Kyrgyzstan. We have many programs supporting students from different backgrounds, and we, as an educational institution, must make efforts so that we benefit society."

According to AUCA Vice-President Chyngyz Shamshiyev: "A good education should be available to everyone, regardless of where you live and to which social stratum you belong. AUCA has a lot of scholarship programs that support gifted, talented students. We will tell the students of the Ber-Bulak school about them."

In response, the school’s director Gulnara Mambetimanova thanked the AUCA principals for their attention and noted: "We are very grateful to AUCA. Our school has been experiencing a shortage of computers for a long time. Now we have the opportunity to give students a quality education that meets the requirements of the modern world. Thank you for responding to our request! This is an invaluable gift for a rural school. This will certainly contribute to raising the level of education."

According to the school's administration, some computers will be installed in the computer science room, and some in other classrooms so that school teachers can use them in the educational process. AUCA promised to provide technical support in the installation and maintenance of equipment, as well as in terms of software.

Cooperation between AUCA and the O. Tursumatov Ber-Bulak Comprehensive School will continue. One of the possible areas of collaboration is the inclusion of the school in one of the teacher training programs implemented by AUCA and the AUCA Technical School of Innovation.

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