Sardor Sadykov
Positive changes in the local educational system, increased demand to learn English and more opportunities for teachers to upskill have resulted from close cooperation with the British Council in the city of Karshi.
Sardor Sadykov is the director of the Presidential School in Karshi in southern Uzbekistan and is also the head and founder of Global Education, a private training centre there. On 30 June 2021, he was awarded the Shukhrat State Medal for contributing to the development of English-language learning among younger people.
In November 2018, the centre’s teachers, led by Mr Sadykov, launched an affiliate programme in cooperation with the British Council. A year later, the centre hosted the first IELTS exam in Karshi, again with the British Council’s support.
“The purpose of our cooperation with the British Council is to popularise the English language locally,”- says Mr Sadykov. “For more than three years, we have been cooperating with the British Council to support students in passing international tests in Karshi.”
“Our centre registers students for the IELTS and prepares them for the test. The hundreds of people enrolling in English programmes and signing up for the IELTS exam have been an indicator of the success of our partnership with the British Council,” - he says.
As the Global Education Training Centre is currently the only school in the region that hosts the IELTS exam, it has created an important opportunity for people from Kashkadarya to take the test locally for the first time. This is particularly critical because an IELTS certificate is required for all applicants to higher educational institutions, both in Uzbekistan and abroad. And thanks to its work with the British Council, the Global Education Training Centre has been awarded silver status for the number of IELTS registrations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre and the British Council also co-organised a number of online conferences and masterclasses on preparing for and passing the IELTS.
“Working with the British Council has given us key foreign language teaching skills. Our teachers have completed advanced training courses and switched to a new method of teaching English,” says Mr Sadykov. “Every year, we attend British Council seminars, webinars and other events and have had great chances for training from leading teachers, linguists and methodologists.”
As the British Council this year celebrates 25 years of work in strengthening cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UK, Mr Sadykov offers his deep gratitude to the Council, which he believes has influenced the lives of hundreds of people over the years.
“First of all, I would like to wish all the staff of the British Council success in their ongoing and planned projects,” he says. “After many years of partnership with the Council, I know that the organisation is full of true professionals with deep knowledge. Education has always been and will be the key to our success and prosperity. Thanks to the work and effort of the friendly British Council team, we are continui to grow and implement educational initiatives in our region.”