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Today, Ms Rosemary DiCarlo, a member of the Advisory Board of, and Ms Nicole Keefe Fitzgerald, an Adviser to, the “Global Cities, Inc.” International Programme of “Bloomberg Philanthropies”, led by its founder and president, Ms Marjorie Tiven arrived in Kazakhstan at the invitation of the “Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools” autonomous educational organization. The delegation began its five-day business trip visiting the International School of Astana and attending a meeting with the Board of Intellectual schools represented by its chairman, Ms Kulyash Shamshidinova, her deputy Ms Nazipa Ayubayeva, and others.
Immediately after the arrival of the guests, Mr Bauyrzhan Uzakbay, the Principal of the host school, gave them a tour of the new educational building, and also told how the educational process is conducted in the modern, technically well-equipped school.
Global Cities is a non-profit organization based in New York. It manages the international “Global Scholars” online training programme, which joins students from different cities worldwide and prepares them to become the next generation of global citizens. As part of this, schoolchildren aged 10-13 years, studying both in the classroom and on the Internet, interact with their foreign peers.
The intention to implement the programme in local schools is connected with the goal of developing cultural understanding, knowledge of the world, and skills of global competence through direct on-line communication, among children.
During the visit of the foreign guests, the parties discussed in detail the promising areas of joint work, as well as previous experience of cooperation, since several Intellectual schools have already managed to take part in this programme, namely NIS of Physics and Mathematics in Kokshetau – in the 2014-2015 academic year involving students in grades 5-6, NIS of Physics and Mathematics in Taldykorgan – in the 2015-2016 academic year involving students in grades 5-6, and in the next academic year engaging grades 7 students, and NIS of Chemics and Biology in Petropavlovsk – in the 2016-2017 academic year, involving students in grades 7 as well. Representatives of the three above-mentioned schools were present at the event and they presented their activities undertaken within the framework of this programme.
The educational programme coordinators of the Intellectual Schools note that the “Global Scholars” programme is aimed at independent work and the development of many of the students’ competences, for example, communication skills at the international level, which enables students to correspond with foreign peers on various issues, thereby developing writing skills in English.
Every year, Global Cities provides an original curriculum that focuses on a variety of topics relating to global issues, ranging from health care and nutrition to environmental sustainability. Due to this initiative, teachers receive free lesson plans and materials for students, as well as unlimited access to year-round training sessions, and the opportunity to join the international network of teachers.
