Traditionally, Bishkek honoured the country's best teachers on World Teachers’ Day. The ceremony took place on 5 October in the capital's Opera and Ballet Theatre, where First Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Talantbek Bektashov, awarded the winners of the national competitions "Teacher of the Year" and "Kindergarten teacher of the Year".
For the first time, the winners of the teacher competition for the best lesson on healthy eating, which was organised by SIFI in collaboration with WFP and the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, were also honoured at this ceremony. Almost 90 teachers from all over the country sent in their applications for the competition, eight of whom made it to the final. Among the eight candidates, the jury selected three winners, who were invited to the award ceremony for the best teachers in Kyrgyzstan.
The third place winner, Govar Nasiridinova from Sosnovskaya School in Chui Region, was the most experienced among the finalists. She has been in the profession for more than 30 years: "My first teacher was the example that determined the rest of my life. When I went to my first class as a little girl, I knew right away that I wanted to be like her, talk like her, and look like her. Clearly, these were the dreams of a little girl at the time. But as it turned out, they became a reality, and now I've been working as a primary school teacher for so long.
Govar not only submitted her project, but also a video report of the lesson. The children enjoyed participating in this experimental activity, so the success in the competition is a shared achievement. "Children are our future! If we give them a good upbringing, teach them good eating habits and follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle, this future will be bright and good," stated Govar Nasiridinova.
Nurzada Karimova, a primary school teacher from Osh school-gymnasium No. 7, came in second, supporting the cause of teachers from Osh - both the best teacher and the best kindergarten teacher of the year came from Osh. For the competition, Nurzada Karimova developed a lesson in the form of an entertaining quest about healthy eating.
"Younger pupils are interested in this topic because they are attracted to new things. These days, many parents are away for long periods of time for work or they work from morning till night, and the children are on their own. After such lessons they can choose healthy food for themselves," said the winner of the competition.
Umut Tezekova, the winner of the competition and the winner of the grand prize, a laptop, was the senior teacher of Maman village school, Issyk-Kul Oblast. Her lesson was fascinating, informative and, most importantly, diversified activity. There was room for visual arts, physical exercises and even handmade vitamin salads.
"I think this is a very important topic. When a child eats healthy food and follows the daily routine, he or she performs well academically. Our school has a programme to optimise school meals: the children are provided with hot meal every day and three times a week they are served with meat dishes. For me, winning this competition is an additional motivation to invent something new for my pupils, to make it interesting for them, and the knowledge acquired will be useful in their future life", - shared her view the winner of the competition.
Congratulating all the teachers gathered in the hall, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Talantbek Bektashov said that the country has always respected teaching skills and wisdom without limits. "For each of us, Teacher's Day is another opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude to the mentors who helped us decide on our future and choose our life goals, who taught the most important lessons of honesty and humanity," he noted.
These include, of course, lessons on the principles of healthy eating, as this is how our teachers are laying the foundations for a healthy, intelligent and successful future nation.