Today (Sunday) a full day of reviewing, discussing and scoring student applications for the new undergraduate bachelor degree programs at the Naryn campus of the University of Central Asia (UCA). The review team consists of a mix of educational professionals from the region and me representing one of their international partner institutions (Seneca).
We go through big binders prepared by the team of the Registrar Office of the UCA with summary results on academic tests and personal interviews with the applicants. The selection method is purely based on academic merit, leadership potential and geographic diversity of the students.
We do a few hours of review at a time and take short breaks on the terrace enjoying the beautiful scenery of the mountains. Below is one of my favorite views.
After the long day of reviews some of us went to downtown Naryn (a city with a population of around 40,000). The mountains surround the city wherever you look.
A view from the city central square with in the background a music museum and school where traditional music concerts are performed. Inside we saw some of the traditional instruments and photos of the national musician after whom this center was named. He wears the traditional hat from the peopled of Kyrgyzstan.
Our walk ended at a new public park called the Smart Park donated by the Aga Khan Development Network to the town of Naryn. The park is "smart" because it has free WI-FI and the lights are solar powered. Clearly a popular place for the people of the city. Tomorrow another day of reviews and then I drive back to Bishkek for an early Tuesday morning flight back to Istanbul and then Toronto.
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