Published: 09 July 2014 г.
Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic, 4 July 2014 – The Naryn Vice-Governor, Chinara Abdraimakunova and the University of Central Asia (UCA) Board Executive Committee (BEC) visited its main campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic.
During their tour on 4 July 2014, they reviewed current progress of the University’s Phase 1 construction on a spectacular site just outside town on the Naryn river bank. UCA is building a fully residential university that will open in September 2016 and offer an international standard Bachelor’s programmes in Computer Sciences, and
Economics.
Board Executive members were briefed on how construction targets were met that include the engagement of local contractors, and Naryn residents as the overwhelmingly preponderant workforce. They examined the concrete works on the main academic building and the excavations for dormitory blocks; and observed the operation of the stone crushing, cement batching plant and other equipment. They viewed the international standard facility for the workforce with a cafeteria that services up to 130 employees in one sitting.
The Board then visited the School of Professional and Continuing Education, located in in Naryn Town that offer programmes and courses leading to professional qualifications and skills improvement reaching over 16,000 course participants in Naryn since its inception in 2006.
They were then briefed by Dr Kubat Tabaldyev, Manas University, and the country’s leading archeologist on the historical preservation dimension of the UCA’s site development. UCA engaged Dr Tabaldyev and his team of professors and students from other universities to produce an archeological map of the territory and excavate the relevant sites.
Excavations have shown through carbon dating that the valley where UCA campus is being constructed has seen continuous settlement since the Stone Age for over 100,000 years. UCA buildings are being built on land parcels that have no historical importance and there is continuous archeological monitoring of the construction process.
Archeological excavations on the UCA territory will continue in the years ahead, and will be integrated into undergraduate courses on cultural heritage offering students a unique opportunity for a hands-on experience of historical exploration.
Addressing the Board Executive Committee Members, Vice-Governor Abdraimakunova noted, “We are grateful to UCA for its commitment to develop the Naryn Oblast. I am pleased with recent construction developments, and the archeological findings on site are important for preserving our heritage. For posterity, we will support efforts to create a historical-cultural centre on the site for future generations.”
The University’s BEC consists of Chairman Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Head of AKDN Representation, Kyrgyz Republic and founding former President of the Aga Khan University; and its membersDr Shafik Sachedina, Head of His Highness the Aga Khan’s Diplomatic Department; Naguib Kheraj, prominent UK banker, member of the Board of the UK National Health Service and the Prince of Wales Trust; and Nizar Shariff, Coordinator of some 50 constructions projects for the Aga Khan Development Network. The Committee oversees the development of campuses in Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan whose governments, with the His Highness the Aga Khan founded the University under an International Treaty.
“His Highness the Aga Khan, and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic want to ensure the Naryn campus opens on time. Through common efforts we will realize this audacious project of a high quality university in a mountain community that will contribute to the economic development of the Naryn region and beyond, by educating graduates with the ability and motivation to become singular actors in their chosen fields,” said Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Chair of the Board Executive Committee.
In meetings between the Vice-Governor and BEC, UCA Director General of UCA, Dr Bohdan Krawchenko emphasized, “We will provide world-class facilities and excellent faculty. But we are also working hard to deliver programmes to prepare talented students, especially from mountain communities, to master a very challenging curriculum that will place them on the same level as graduates from the best universities of the world. A quality university is in large part determined by the quality of its students.”