2024, July 12
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Uzbek Schoolchildren Visit NU
2024, July 12
Share this articleFor two days, schoolchildren and teachers from the Presidential and private schools of Samarkand and Bukhara learned about NU's science and education perspectives.
The visit to Astana took place within the framework of the agreement reached during the official visit of the leadership of the Kazakhstani university to the leading universities and schools of Uzbekistan in April this year. Their accommodation on campus allowed them to fully immerse themselves in university life, where, despite the vacation period, research work continues and prestigious international Olympiads are held, particularly the IBO-2024 - a biology competition among schoolchildren from 81 countries.
Welcoming the Uzbek delegation, NU Vice President Kadisha Dairova emphasized NU's commitment to continuous improvement of its academic programs and research potential. "NU is in the top 30% of the Times Higher Education (THE) world university ranking, is a leader among universities in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and is ranked 106th in the world ranking of young universities. We are proud of our students and graduates who have acquired first-class knowledge in the humanities, engineering and digital sciences, mining and geosciences, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. Our graduates are our calling card. They have proved that the NU diploma is competitive with world universities," noted the Vice President, who invited pupils to explore the university's infrastructure and opportunities during a two-day excursion.
The comprehensive excursion included visiting laboratories where young scientists demonstrated various experiments and a meeting with professors from the NU Schools and student club representatives. The delegation also visited master classes and participated in sporting events.
"I was still considering one university in Uzbekistan; I see myself as a diplomat in the future. After coming to Astana, I realized that NU is an outstanding university. I like that first-year students have time to choose their direction of study. I was happy to learn that there is a major in political science and international relations. I also didn't realize how large the campus is and how friendly the people are. I liked that students participate in research and can attend scientific conferences," said Amirabonu Oripova, a 10th-grade student at the Academy of Knowledge School in Bukhara.
Young scientists from the NU Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) showed Uzbek schoolchildren and teachers their developments of AI-based robots and language technologies. The guests also visited the Fab Lab of the NURIS innovation cluster.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and variety of information presented at the NU orientation program. I was especially impressed by the attention to detail and professionalism of the faculty members who shared their experiences and knowledge. I am confident that choosing NU will be a great step in our students' academic careers," said Sarvinoz Alikulova, Advisor to the Director of the Presidential School in Samarkand.
The first Presidential School in Uzbekistan, modeled on Kazakhstan's NIS, was opened in 2019, and there are now about 14 of them across the country. Over the past seven years, the enrollment of young people in higher education in the neighbouring country has increased from 9% to 42%. New universities are being opened. The young New Uzbekistan University, with which NU signed a memorandum of cooperation last year, plays a unique role.
"Over the past ten years, the education system in Uzbekistan has reached a new level, but the pace of Kazakhstan is impressive. Our students had heard but didn't know what NU was all about. Although I had a notion, I was still very impressed with the study programs and the quality of the university: everything is at a high level. I studied in the States and can say that 80% of American universities cannot compare to NU, especially in terms of services such as working with students, infrastructure and opportunities," said Firdavs Navruzov, director of the Academy of Knowledge school.
According to him, two of his students have already received counseling on studying at NU and want to enroll at the university next year. At the closing part of their visit, students and teachers talked to representatives of student clubs, learned about the admission process, and observed the starry sky and the moon in the observatory.
