Three TKN volunteers – Sobia Makhani, Ashna Suchak, and Kais Khimji – delivered programmes for the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES) in Tajikistan (AKES) in the summer of 2017. Sobia delivered the first junior LEGO robotics programme in the region, while Ashna ran the schools summer English upgrading programme, and Kais taught Mathematics numeracy.

Sobia Makhani has been running the junior LEGO robotics programme in the Toronto Jamat and wider community for the past three years. Her passion and competence in this field led to her being asked to train teachers from Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, and deliver a similar programme at the Aga Khan Lycee in Khorog, both for AKES and Government school teachers. Junior First League Robotics is a 9-week programme that teams up young students and adult coaches to explore real-world issues such as food safety, recycling, and energy-related topics. During the course, students learn about teamwork and the wonders of science and technology, thereby strengthening skills in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in a fun and engaging way. 
 
LEGO designs the programme and toolkits which are implemented by teachers in their classrooms. Prior to the launch of this course, Sobia organized an 11-day faculty training session for 30 teachers, as well as a practicum for 32 students. Despite the language barriers, she found the teachers very welcoming and appreciated their willingness to learn. “It was a life-changing and really fulfilling experience,” says Sobia. The Junior LEGO Robotics course is now being run successfully as an after school program at the Aga Khan Lycée (Khorog) in Tajikistan, at the Aga Khan School (Osh) in the Kyrgyz Republic, and at local government schools in the Badakhshan region.
 
Ashna Suchak is an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor and led the literacy programme for students in grades 8-10 at the Aga Khan Lycée in Khorog. In addition to teaching the course, she also designed the admissions tests for the programme. Although the curriculum framework was prepared by Seneca College in Canada, Ashna incorporated literature study and innovative, hands-on learning activities using the arts to make her classes more engaging. Throughout her TKN assignment, she was amazed at the students’ willingness to learn. Speaking about her experience, she said: “I gained skills such as adapting to a new environment, becoming resilient and culturally aware, as well as learning time management.” Ashna found this experience extremely fulfilling, knowing that she was able to make a meaningful impact in developing a higher level of English proficiency among her students.
 
During the same summer, Kais Khimji taught a 6-week numeracy course to grades 11 and 12. Although he does not have an advanced academic background in Mathematics, he has always enjoyed the subject as he believes numbers transcend the boundaries of language. His assignment in Tajikistan was very uplifting - the scenery, the kindness of the people and, most importantly, the enthusiasm of the students to learn. Kais was given a set curriculum but also had to work in improvisation and lesson planning. Despite the language barrier that sometimes hindered his ability to determine if students were understanding concepts, his students managed to achieve a 30% improvement in their test scores. It was an empowering experience for him, and he was inspired by the children’s thirst for knowledge.
 
AKES Regional Head of Education, Aziz Batada, said that “teachers and students who participated in last summer’s robotics and upgrading programmes have commented on their wonderful learning experiences, with many teachers developing new approaches to their own teaching practice and learning how to use an iPad for the first time. Students were motivated to further develop their English language proficiency and Mathematics problem solving competencies, resulting in increased self-efficacy when applying to English speaking Universities in the region, including UCA and AKU.”
 
Aziz further stated that “TKN support is invaluable in helping AKES in Central Asia take these initial steps towards the larger objective of promoting STEM education and English language proficiency, ensuring that our children are developing 21st century competencies, which include critical thinking, innovation, creativity and an integrated approach to problem solving – all skill sets much needed for the ongoing development of the region.”