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Speaker of Parliament Visits UCA Campus in Naryn
After a tour of the University of Central Asia’s Campus and facilities in Naryn on 11 October, the Speaker of the Parliament, Chynybai Tursunbekov complimented UCA on the quality of its education standards and academic resources.
The Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament (2nd from left) in a classroom at UCA’s Campus in Naryn.
Government dignitaries accompanying the Speaker included Members of Parliament Almasbek Akmatov and Kamchybek Zholdoshbayev, State Secretary of Health, Jazgul Kiyizbaeva; Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Salidin Kaldybaev; Deputy Minister Finance, Ulukbek Karmyshakov; Deputy Director, State Agency for Architecture, Construction, Housing and Communal Services under the Government, Urmatbek Kokocharov; State Insurance Organization Chairman, Djumagul Egamberdieva and State Mortgage Company Chairman Baktybek Shamkeev.
The delegation toured the campus, and met with students and faculty in the classrooms. “On behalf of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament), I would like to convey our sincere appreciation to His Highness the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Development Network for the programmes undertaken in Kyrgyzstan. I can see by the reaction of students that they are happy, intellectually engaged, and making important new bonds with their peers.” said the Speaker.
Remarking on the visit, Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Chairman of UCA’s Board of Trustees, and the Aga Khan Development Network’s Diplomatic Representative in Kyrgyzstan said, “We highly appreciate the support of the Jogorku Kenesh and people of the Kyrgyz Republic for the University of Central Asia and the Aga Khan Development Network. UCA has benefitted significantly from the contributions of the people of this country, and we also look forward to contributing to the country’s social and economic development.”
Dr. Elmira Köchümkulova, Head of UCA’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, presents a book on proverbs of the Kyrgyz Pamiri people to the Speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament.
UCA’s five-year degree programme consists of an intensive preparatory programme, followed by a four-year liberal arts core curriculum, rooted in the issues of mountain communities in Central Asia. Students are currently pursuing specialisations in Computer Science or Communications and Media at the Campus in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and Economics or Earth and Environmental Science at the Campus in Khorog, Tajikistan.
UCA was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan, signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular, private, not for profit University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations. The Presidents are the Patrons of UCA and His Highness the Aga Khan is the Chancellor. UCA’s mission is to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain societies, by offering an internationally recognised standard of higher education, and helping the peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions as assets for the future. UCA brings with it the commitment and partnership of the Aga Khan Development Network.