Alisher Navoiy Secondary School (; ; ) is a secondary school in Razzakov, Kyrgyzstan. Although the school is called a secondary school, it offers classes for grades one through eleven. The school has Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Russian classes.
The school was established in 1977 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution and was therefore initially called the 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution (; ; ). In 1991, the school was renamed Alisher Navoiy Secondary School in honor of the great Turkic poet and statesman Ali-Shir Nava'i. The school has a museum collection containing over 300 artifacts, including a letter by Joseph Stalin addressed to the people of Razzakov.
History
The school was officially opened on December 1, 1977, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution and was called the 60th Anniversary of the October Revolution. Shamshiddin Qunduzov was appointed as the first principal of the new school. The school initially had only Uzbek classes. In 1991, the first Kyrgyz classed were opened.
In 1980, at the initiative of Nasrullo (Mashrab) Mahmarajabov a memorial obelisk was erected in the school yard to honor those who died fighting against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II.
From 1987 until 1990, Marziya Sharipova served as principal of the school. In 1990, she was succeeded by Saodat Muhammedjanova. In 1991, on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkic poet and statesman Ali-Shir Nava'i the school was renamed Alisher Navoiy Secondary School.
In 1993, Shokirjon Toʻychiyev was appointed as principal of the school. In the 1990, the school had several branches at Issyk Kul and Nariste kindergartens as well as the local road construction company. In 1999, one of the school branches became a separate institution, namely, Issyk Kul Secondary School.
In 2000, Habibullo Sattorov became school principal. In 2010, Toʻyichev was once again appointed as principal and served until 2013. Since 2013, Orozgul Sattarova has served as school principal.
In the wake of the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes, local Kyrgyz authorities attempted to rename the school on many occasions, but did not succeed. In 2012, Ali-Shir Nava'i's portrait that used to hang in the school lobby was removed under pressure from local authorities.
General framework and curriculum
At Alisher Navoiy Secondary School, children are accepted to first grade at the age of six or seven, depending on the child's individual development. The eleven-year school term is split into elementary (grades 1-4), middle (grades 5-9) and senior (grades 10-11) classes. Attending a "basic" nine-year (elementary and middle) program is compulsory. Grades 10-11 are optional.
As in many parts of the country, at Alisher Navoiy Secondary School children of elementary classes are normally separated from other classes within their own floor of the school building. They are taught, ideally, by a single teacher through all four elementary grades (except for physical education and foreign languages).
Starting from the fifth grade, each academic subject is taught by a dedicated specialty teacher. The school curriculum for senior students includes subjects like mathematics, informatics, physics, chemistry, geography, biology, arts, music, physical education, history, and astronomy.
Like many other schools in Kyrgyzstan, Alisher Navoiy Secondary School is a double shift school where two streams of students (morning shift and evening shift) share the same facility. The reason for this is that school capacity is insufficient to teach all of the students on a normal, morning-to-afternoon, schedule.
The school year extends from the beginning of September to the end of May and is divided into four terms. The school curriculum at Alisher Navoiy Secondary School is fixed: unlike in some Western countries, schoolchildren cannot choose what subjects to study. Students are graded on a five-step scale, ranging in practice from 2 ("unacceptable") to 5 ("excellent"); 1 is a rarely used sign of extreme failure. Teachers regularly subdivide these grades (i.e. 4+, 5-) in daily use, but term and year results are graded strictly 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Medium of instruction
There are Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Russian classes at the school. Like in many other Uzbek-language schools in Kyrgyzstan, the future of teaching in Uzbek remains uncertain at Alisher Navoiy Secondary School.