OSCE helps schools to monitor water quality in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, 18 November 2011 – Teachers from 20 schools in Kyrgyzstan will learn about “green chemistry” as part of a two-day training course in measuring water quality organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Regional Ecological Centre for Central Asia that started in Bishkek today.
The schools were equipped with water assessment laboratories by the OSCE and the Embassy of Japan earlier this year.
More than 60 teachers, together with students, will learn to assess water pollution both in classrooms and in the field and analyze the origins of foreign and potentially harmful substances. The labs and educational materials are designed for further use during school lessons on “green chemistry”.
Volker Jacoby, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “Using these labs, the students will expand their knowledge about environmental and public health matters and share the results of the water tests with the authorities. We hope that this will be useful for the schools, while at the same time help young people to enhance their knowledge and skills to take responsibility and counter environmental threats and challenges to safety in Kyrgyzstan”.
Bakyt Satybekov, the Director of the Bishkek branch of the Regional Ecological Centre for Central Asia noted: “Chemistry education in Kyrgyzstan should get a new perspective. ‘Green chemistry’, also called ‘sustainable chemistry’, is a concept that encourages the design of products and processes that minimize the use and generation of hazardous substances. It seeks to reduce and prevent pollution at its source and create a modus operandi for dealing with pollution in an original and innovative way. The focus is on minimizing the hazard and maximizing the efficiency of any chemical choice.”
The training was organized as part of an OSCE-supported project aimed at involving young people in monitoring the quality of water resources in Kyrgyzstan.