OSCE Centre presents manual on multi-cultural education in southern Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, 26 February, 2010 - A new manual for teachers on multi-cultural and multi-lingual education was presented today at the Panfilov secondary school in Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan. 

The publication and its presentation were prepared by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the non-governmental organization Centre for Multi-Cultural and Multi-Lingual Education, with support from the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM).

The manual "Dialogue in the Name of the Future" compiled by leading experts from the Bishkek-based Centre for Social Integration and the Kyrgyz Education Ministry's Department for Multi-Cultural Education, presents and discusses works of poets, philosophers and other important figures in Central Asian history and culture. The publication aims to contribute to a genuinely multi-cultural education, promoting values of tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding among the young people of Kyrgyzstan.

Presenting a sample copy to Odina Mirzabaeva, the Director of the Panfilov secondary school, Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: "The OSCE Centre supports understanding, appreciation and tolerance among people of different backgrounds in multi-ethnic Kyrgyzstan. The manual, 'Dialogue in the Name of the Future', aims to bring this wish to life in the classroom. I hope the book will assist schoolteachers and pupils alike."

Baltabaev Abdivali, the Head of the Osh City Education Department, said: "We appreciate the support of the OSCE Centre and the HCNM, and believe that this publication will help to raise children in a tolerant and mutually respectful society in Kyrgyzstan".

Dildora Khamidova, the Head of the Centre for Multi-Cultural and Multi-Lingual Education, added: "The integration of various ethnic groups into society should start in childhood. With this manual, teachers will help children expand their worldview, develop communication skills and learn more about the cultures of their region."

Four thousand copies of the manual published in three languages - Kyrgyz, Russian and Uzbek - will be distributed in secondary schools and other educational establishments in the country.