After graduating from CIE/UMass in 2004, Askar, who is originally from Kyrgyzstan, taught social sciences and linguistics using advanced pedagogy at various national and international universities in Kyrgyzstan. He did research with the Canadian Center of Pluralism on the peaceful co-existence of people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
In 2007, he took a month-long course in Academic Writing at the American University in Istanbul. From 2008 to 2010 he was a Visiting Scholar at the Open Society Institute at New York University, where he focused on developing programs in the social and political sciences.
In 2011, he joined UNICEF's Global Initiative to conduct a country study on childhood education. Thanks to this project, thousands of out-of-school children could attend school. At the same time, he conducted other research activities and presented the results at Washington University, University of Berkeley, ELTE University in Budapest, Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, and the National Association of Doctoral Students (DOSZ) of Hungary. He organized an international conference at the Arabaev Kyrgyz State University, for which the Kyrgyzstan government awarded him a medal for his contribution to language policy studies.
Askar writes: I am grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the wonderful and diverse community at the Center for International Education at UMass Amherst. Since graduating, all my efforts have been devoted to international education and minority rights in pluralistic societies. Thanks in part to what I learned at CIE, I have been involved in many valuable international programs in Kyrgyzstan and USA. CIE has contributed significantly to mutual understanding and friendship between students from different countries by providing a place for interaction, cultural exchange, and academic debates. I also want to thank the Open Society Institute and U.S. Department of State, which supported me in developing international and civic education programs in Kyrgyzstan.
He is completing his Ph.D. study on language policy, attitudes, and beliefs and working on a monograph on sociolinguistics. Updates will be published Here. [3-23]
Email: askarbek@gmail.com