Enhancing Humanities Education in Central Asia

UCA's Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) convened its Third Annual International Conference themed "Teaching Humanities in the Context of Central Asia: New Approaches, Processes, and Methodologies" in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The conference fostered collaboration among AKHP partner universities across Central Asia and beyond, with a focus on exploring innovations in humanities education. Emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary teaching within Central Asian educational contexts, the conference highlighted the interconnectedness of various humanities disciplines with natural sciences and other dimensions of human knowledge.

Distinguished speakers, including representatives from educational authorities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as renowned scholars from Canada and the United States, shared valuable insights and perspectives. Among them were Mr Bekzhan Sunanaliev, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic; Mr Esengazy Imangaliev, President of the National Institute of Harmonious Human Development in Kazakhstan; and Dr Yormuhammad Niyozi, Director of the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Problems in Tajikistan.

Mr Makhkamboy Karimov, an AKHP Trainer and Senior Lecturer at Babadjan Gafurov Khujand State University, lauded the conference as an enriching opportunity to gain exposure to new ideas and approaches relevant to his field: “The conference provided me with valuable insights into the challenges associated with teaching humanities in Central Asia”.

“I express my gratitude to UCA for its contributions to education in Central Asia. It would be good if similar conferences are organised in other Central Asian countries as well to further promote the integration of education and science in the region,” – noted Ms Mutriba Ismoilova, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at the Institute of Economics and Trade in Tajikistan.