AKIPRESS.COM - 26 U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer Trainees arrived in the Kyrgyz Republic to support English language education in secondary schools of Chuy, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Osh and Jalal-Abad oblasts, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said.

The Trainees are the 29th Peace Corps cohort to serve in the Kyrgyz Republic since 1993. At the invitation of the Kyrgyz government and based on an agreement it signed with the United States in 1992, Volunteers will work alongside local teachers to help them strengthen their capacity to teach English through new skills and methods. Volunteers will assist their schools and communities to establish or expand English teaching resources and develop curriculum and innovative teaching materials.

“Communities, schools, and host families are all excited to welcome Volunteers! I strongly believe these Volunteers will not only increase capacity of teachers and students, but also promote intercultural exchange and bring great ideas and experience to their assigned communities,” said Baarkul Soltalieva, English teacher and methodologist at a school named after Ninakan Jundubaeva of Kochkor village.

For the next 11 weeks, the Trainees will attend pre-service training that includes Kyrgyz language classes, sessions on Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), co-teaching with local teachers, and cross-cultural competence. The Trainees underwent a rigorous selection process in the United States that identified individuals who are highly qualified and committed to development. Only Trainees who successfully complete the training program are sworn in as Volunteers.

The arrival of the Trainees coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ partnership with the Kyrgyz Republic. The 29th cohort of Peace Corps Trainees is the second group to arrive to the Kyrgyz Republic since all Volunteers around the world were evacuated in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new cohort will bring the number of Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees in Kyrgyzstan to a total of 36.