"COVID-19 and school". Start of the new school year

A two-day training for teachers of pilot schools in the framework of the "COVID-19 Prevention and Improvement of General Hygiene Culture among Schoolchildren in Kyrgyzstan" project started on 12 August 2021.

Online training in the Kyrgyz and Russian languages was conducted for 80 teachers from the pilot schools. The aim of the training is to raise teachers' awareness on coronavirus prevention and the general level of hygiene and sanitation culture in schools in Kyrgyzstan.

All presentations and information provided at the training were on basic measures to prevent coronavirus infection among school children and parents and to facilitate the successful preparation for the new school year.

Soltongeldieva S., Executive Secretary of the Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO, opened the training with a welcome speech, highlighting the importance of lifelong learning in the context of the current global health crisis and protecting teachers to ensure safe school reopening. She also presented UNESCO's action in education and the organisation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abdyldaeva G., specialist, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, greeted participants and highlighted the importance of the prevention of coronavirus in schools. She also gave preliminary information about the beginning of the new academic year in schools and the measures taken by the government to prepare schools for off-line work and return children to a normal learning style following all safety measures.

Project Coordinator Nurzat Jeembaeva made a presentation which recalled the goals and importance of the project in this period, as well as the role of pilot schools in the implementation of the project.

Given the importance of mental health, the trainer psychologist Anna Anastasiadi was invited. She gave a presentation on "COVID-19 pandemic and school" where she elaborated on the importance of increasing teachers' productivity, discussed the effective return to offline teaching and shared practical tips on organising and planning "post-COVID" teaching activities. Anna Anastasiadi conducted a series of psychological tests during the presentation, which helped teachers learn a lot of new information.

Therapist Ermek Ismailov, the author of the 'Doctor's Diary' blog who is known for his indispensable contribution to covering coronavirus infection since the beginning of the pandemic, was also invited to the training. He stressed the importance of disease prevention in schools and conscious attitude toward the health of teachers and those around them. The topic of vaccination was touched upon, which resonated widely with the teachers.

Despite the online format of the first day of the training, the organisers demonstrated the educational game platform kahoot.it, which featured a quiz about the coronavirus. Teachers from the pilot schools enthusiastically participated in the quiz and showed a high level of awareness. This platform is an excellent alternative to the usual tests, as the emphasis here is on speed of perception of information.

At the end, the project coordinator, Nurzat Jeembaeva, shared future plans of the project. In order to share best practices and experience in integrating various innovative forms and methods of educational activities in schools to combat COVID-19, participants voiced a proposal to organize the second phase of the training in offline format, as many of its aspects provide more effective, positive results.

The second part of the training programme will include presentations on improving teachers' digital competence, demonstrations of accessible ways of using the materials of the e-learning platform created (within this project) in the educational process and practical blocks on innovative teaching methods.