Akelius Foundation Coordinator Philippe Testot-Ferry Visited Kazakhstan

On April 5-14, 2022, the coordinator of the Swedish Akelius Foundation, Philippe Testot-Ferry, visited Kazakhstan to get acquainted with the implementation of a joint project with UNICEF and IITU to improve the literacy level of children who do not speak Russian.

As part of his visit, Philippe Testot-Ferry went to three cities: Nur-Sultan (April 4-7), Shymkent (April 7-10) and Almaty (April 10-15). In the capital, the coordinator met with the UNICEF team and representatives of the Center for Modernization of Education. During the meeting, the implementation of the initiative, the work of digital laboratories, trainings for teachers, as well as preparation for ethical training for national partners were discussed. In addition, Philippe Testott-Ferry visited classes at pilot schools: Gymnasium No. 67 and Lyceum No. 53. The purpose of the visit was to see how the Akelius platform is used in the classroom and to personally communicate with teachers and school administration about the sustainability of the project.

Then Philippe Testot-Ferry went to Shymkent, where he met with representatives of the city's education department and members of ‘Sana Sezim’ NGO. He learned their vision for the program, received feedback and discussed the possibilities for scaling the project to other schools in the city. In Shymkent, Philippe Testot-Ferry also visited schools where children from Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan study through the Akelius platform. The teachers showed and told how they teach the lesson, use the equipment, and evaluate students' knowledge.

The final stage of the visit was a trip to Almaty, where Philippe Testot-Ferry met with the Rector of MUIT Askar Khikmetov and the project team, as well as with members of ‘Rodnik’ NGO. In Almaty, he visited pilot schools No. 152 and No. 186 and the Center for Supporting Children in Difficult Life Situations of the Education Department of Almaty.

It should be noted that diplomatic relations between Sweden and Kazakhstan were established on April 7, 1992 and this year marks their 30th anniversary.

Since 2017, UNICEF in Kazakhstan has been implementing the UNICEF-EU program to protect children affected by migration. The goal of the partnership between UNICEF Kazakhstan and the Akelius Foundation is to support affordable lifelong learning for those who are far behind in literacy skills, especially children affected by migration or children returning from conflict zones during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to literacy skills development and digital language learning.