On the 15th of March 2023, in cooperation with the Institute for Advanced International Studies and the Central Asia hub of the Political Economy of Education Research Network (PEER Network) organized the research dissemination day “The Political Economy of Education in Central Asia: Insights from the field”. The event was organized as a space for early-career researchers from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to present the findings of their small-scale research projects undertaken as part of the PEER Network’s Research and Practice Fellowships. The event started with the opening note from the Vice-Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Gulnoza Ismailova, the PEER Network’s joint principal investigator Professor Kelsey Shanks (University of Ulster) and the Central Asia hub’s team Professor Naureen Durrani and Associate professor Hélène Thibault (Nazarbayev University). The event proceedings were carried out through four sessions during which fellows presented their small-scale research projects and answered emerging questions from researchers and practitioners. Exploring the challenges for education within the countries’ historical, social, political, and cultural contexts, researchers discussed the observed discourses in relation to religion, language, gender, inclusion and internationalization.
PEER Network (https://peernetworkgcrf.org/) is a three-year initiative led by four universities: Ulster University (Northern Ireland), the University of Sussex (England), Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) and the University of Cape Town (South Africa). The project is funded by the Global Challenge Research Fund via UK Research and Innovation.
