CAI-Impact-Report-2019-2020 | Page 2

CAI-Trained Teacher Named “ TEACHER OF THE YEAR ” First and Only Teacher from Impoverished Province to Win Prestigious Award In 2019, Atomamadova Angoma was named Tajikistan’s “Teacher of the Year.” But unlike previous winners, she hadn’t grown up in the country’s cosmopolitan capital city, Dushanbe, or the nearby prosperous provinces. Instead, Atomamadova grew up and began her career as a teacher in the impoverished and isolated eastern province of Tajikistan, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Atomamadova was the first and only teacher from GBAO to win the prestigious “Teacher of the Year” award. But she may not have won at all if not for a two-week training hosted by Central Asia Institute Tajikistan. In the training, Atomamadova learned about lesson planning, how to accommodate different learning styles, child development, and much more. I am grateful to the trainings that CAI-Tajikistan organized “ for the preschool teachers,” she said. “The knowledge gained during these trainings helped me a lot. Working with children, teaching them different types of activities and seeing the result of my work makes me feel proud. ” Looking to the future, Atomamadova hopes that many other teachers from GBAO will have the chance to take the CAI-sponsored training and improve their knowledge and learn new skills. I would like to ask CAI-Tajikistan to continue their training, “ which is very helpful for the teachers as well as for the children because the results of the children’s achievement depends on the qualified teachers. ” Ensuring that the children of Central Asia receive the quality education necessary for them to succeed academically and in life requires investing in teachers. That’s why, in 2019, Central Asia Institute trained 456 teachers. These devoted educators will, in turn, use their improved knowledge and skills to open the minds and unlock the potential of thousands of students, now and in the future.