"COVID-19 and school". Second day of the training

The second day of the two-day training on "COVID-19 and School" for teachers of pilot schools of the project "Prevention of COVID-19 and improvement of general level of hygienic culture among schoolchildren in Kyrgyzstan" took place on 21 August. The project has been implemented since May 2021 by the “Rosa Otunbayeva Initiative” International Public Foundation supported by UNESCO office in Paris in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan and the Republican Centre for Health Promotion and Mass Communication, RCHP. The training took place in a mixed format: offline at Bilimkana school, and online. More than 50 teachers from pilot schools in Bishkek were able to complete the training offline and 25 teachers from two pilot schools in Osh joined the training in an online format. The organizers took into account the sanitary and epidemiological situation related to COVID-19, so in the practical part the participants were divided into 3 small groups, so that the teachers could attend the presentations and workshops one by one. All speeches were delivered in two languages: Kyrgyz and Russian.

In her welcoming speech, Kendirbaeva Dogdurkul Sharsheyevna, the Executive Director of the “Rosa Otunbayeva Initiative” IPF noted the role of the Foundation, partners, pilot schools and state institutions in the implementation of the project, which is urgent due to the realities of the current situation in the world.

Specialist of the Ministry of Education and Science Abdyldaeva Gulshan Kushbekovna thanked participants of the training and said that the mood of teachers determines the new academic year and wished them success in the implementation of plans.

RCHP is a partner of this project and fully supports the Foundation in its implementation. Altymysheva Nurila Almazbekovna, director of RCHP, after her welcome speech, made a presentation on "Algorithm of the beginning of the new school year 2021-2022. The importance of vaccination", where she detailed the importance of receiving accurate information about COVID-19 prevention and teacher training in the return to offline format. In her presentation, she also highlighted the need to vaccinate school teachers which would accelerate the process of pandemic control. Schools with the highest number of vaccinated staff would be recognised as 'green zones' and could start the educational process without any hindrance.

Continuing the theme of health, Ermek Ismailov, a medical practitioner and project expert, gave a presentation on "Prevention of Coronavirus Infection and Return to before Covid life". In his presentation, he highlighted the importance of the physical health of teachers and spoke about special measures for prevention and recovery process in the post-covid period. Ismailov's presentation was accompanied by several visual examples of breathing exercises, which can be applied not only in the classroom but also at home. At the end of the presentation, the teachers voiced their questions about vaccination and shared their opinions on the topic.

“The Rosa Otunbayeva Initiative” IPF is implementing the Sanarip (digital) 50+ project to improve digital literacy. Daniyar Suyunduk uulu and Saltanat Adylbek kyzy have conducted two theoretical blocks and one practical master class on the themes: "Technologies of digital materials processing in teacher's activity: shooting, video editing and design" and "Sanarip and educational process". They shared basic methodologies for applying digital opportunities in the teaching process. In the practical part of the training in small groups, teachers received information on how to conduct questionnaires and intellectual quizzes based on the kahoot.it platform. Saltanat Adylbek kyzy taught teachers how to use Canva software for creating presentations and Inshot software for video editing, which can be used in pedagogical activities.

At the beginning of the new school year, mental health and mental preparation of teachers for the new school year is important, so psychologist Anna Anastasiadi was invited. Her presentation consisted of theoretical (continuation) and practical parts on the topic "COVID-19 pandemic and school: stabilizing the emotional state". In the practical part, there was art therapy on finding and getting to know the inner child. This exercise helped teachers to look at themselves from the outside, and will also help them better understand today's children and their thinking.

A yoga trainer was also invited to promote physical and spiritual health at the initiative of the training organisers. In practical classes, she showed how to get rid of stress and anxiety by performing asana. The trainer also emphasized the impact of correct breathing on emotional and physical health. Teachers of all age groups enthusiastically performed the exercises and surprised with excellent physical fitness. They noted the effectiveness of the 30-minute practice and expressed a desire to bring yoga into their daily lives.

Project coordinator Nurzat Jeembaeva and the project team brainstormed in small groups about preparations for the information week and upcoming competitions, and introduced participants to Captain Health. Having discussed the importance of visual perception of information for the children of the new generation, Nurzat presented the comic book and e-learning platform. All materials and methodologies used will be published on the E-Learning Platform, with translation into the Kyrgyz language in order to make project developments available to more teachers.

At the end of the training, the organizers thanked the teachers for their active participation and awarded memorable prizes to the winners of the intellectual quiz on the first day of the training. Special thanks were given to the administration and teachers of the "Ilim-Osh" and School №48 pilot schools in Osh, who also met on the territory of Ilim School and actively participated not only in theoretical but also in the practical part of the training through the ZOOM platform.

Teachers participating in the two-day training expressed great gratitude to the organizers, the project team of the Foundation for a very rich and interesting programme and for supporting their proposal to conduct the second day of training in offline format.

The organizers of the training are grateful to the administrations of Bilimkana and Ilim-Osh schools for their assistance in conducting the training.