School gardens: providing healthy nutrition for children
On August 25, 2026, Good Neighbors Kyrgyz Republic organized a practical experience-sharing workshop on "Organization of Healthy Nutrition in Schools" at K. Chokoev School in Kotormo village under the "Green Schools for Healthy Nutrition" project. School principals from the Uch-Terek and Bel-Aldy areas participated in the event.
The primary goal of the workshop was to demonstrate how the effective use of school grounds allows for growing fresh fruits and vegetables for the school cafeteria, thereby enriching students' daily diets with nutritious hot meals. 🍲🍛
During the field visit, the team of K. Chokoev School shared their unique experience:
- Crop diversity: apples, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, as well as lemons and bananas are successfully grown on the school grounds.
- High yield: the school harvests crops twice per season.
- Reliable storage: participants were shown a self-constructed basement storage facility that keeps the produce fresh throughout the entire school year.
Participants showed great interest in the practical details, discussing irrigation, crop cultivation, food storage, and adapting these approaches in their own schools. In addition, the school leaders addressed key challenges of mountainous regions, particularly the short agricultural season and limited access to irrigation water.
The workshop served as clear proof that school-based farming is an accessible and effective tool for enhancing hot meal programs and improving children's health. 💚
“Now we are ready to pass this knowledge on to our students!” — GRT preparation training participants share their impressions
A three-day training course on General Republican Testing (GRT) preparation for teachers of Mathematics, Kyrgyz, and Russian languages has concluded.
The initiative was implemented by Good Neighbors in the Kyrgyz Republic in partnership with the Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods (CEATM).
Training participants highlighted the high practical value of the knowledge gained and the inspiring atmosphere of the sessions:
“We explored deeper approaches and strategies for preparing our students for the GRT. Over these three days, we gained everything we expected and even more. Now we are fully ready to pass this knowledge on to our children and contribute to improving the quality of education!”
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“Such workshops help teachers better understand student needs” — Results of the three-day GRT preparation training
An intensive professional development program for 69 teachers of Mathematics, Kyrgyz, and Russian languages from schools in Issyk-Kul, Chuy, Jalal-Abad, and Osh regions has concluded in Bishkek.
The project “Enhancing Teachers’ Qualifications for General Republican Testing Preparation” was implemented by Good Neighbors in the Kyrgyz Republic in partnership with the Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods (CEATM) @ort_ceatm_official.
Over the course of three days, teachers together with leading experts analyzed complex GRT tasks, strategies for addressing typical student errors, and techniques for developing logical and critical thinking skills in high schoolers. Participants received practical tools for their work and certificates of completion.
Chynara Ebishovna Batrakeeva, Director of CEATM, shared the results of the training and her impressions of the collaboration:
“Teachers thoroughly studied the nuances of the tests, learned how to analyze student results, and focused on key competencies. We received excellent feedback from the participants and believe that our cooperation with Good Neighbors will continue to expand for the sake of quality education for children!”
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A three-day training program for 69 teachers of Mathematics, Russian, and Kyrgyz languages from schools in Issyk-Kul, Jalal-Abad, Chuy, and Osh regions was successfully conducted in Bishkek.
The event was organized under the project "Enhancing Teachers’ Qualifications for General Republican Testing Preparation" in partnership with the Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods (CEATM) @ort_ceatm_official.
The program was aimed at strengthening teachers' professional competencies for effective preparation of high school graduates for the General Republican Testing (GRT). Over three days of intensive work, participants together with experienced experts (Farkhad Ismailov, Azamat Omorov, and Tatyana Matokhina) thoroughly analyzed the structure and tasks of the GRT, mastered modern methodologies for developing students' logical and analytical thinking, and received a set of educational and methodological materials along with certificates of completion.
Empowering teachers is an important contribution of Good Neighbors toward ensuring quality and accessible education, as well as creating new opportunities for the future of youth in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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