The Tong Yulduzi Mahalla English Youth Centre opened officially today in a ceremony attended by the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan, Mr. Paul Poletes, the Rector of WIUT, Mr. Bakhrom Mirkasimov, the Head of Mahalla Mr.Furqat Turaev, senior officials from the U.S. Embassy, WIUT’s project coordinators as well as students of the Youth Centre and their parents.

The Mahalla English Youth Centre was established with the aim of teaching English to students aged from 7 to 18 from low income families while strengthening the community bonds at the Mahalla. The Tong Yulduzi Mahalla is one of the three mahallas that are supported by WIUT in the Mirabad district. 2022 is declared the “Year of ensuring human interests and development of the Mahalla” in Uzbekistan.

“The U.S. Embassy is delighted to support Westminster International University in Tashkent’s Mahalla English Youth Center project with a small grant. The Embassy is helping to improve the speaking and teaching of English Language in Uzbekistan in a variety of ways and this project is one more creative way we can help people improve their English skills,” said U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Paul Poletes. We all know that helping students learn English will open doors to new economic and international opportunities for years to come.”

The Rector of WIUT, Bakhrom Mirkasimov noted that “WIUT has a strong corporate social responsibility programme that we pursue consistently to support the local communities (Mahalla) close to our University Campus in Tashkent. We proudly promote educational initiatives and teach the English language to young children who would not otherwise have this opportunity. We thank the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan for trusting and working with us on this project for the development of the Tong Yulduzi Mahalla.”

The Mahalla Youth Centre started its operations in January 2022, offering English language classes to the first 20 children. The classes run from Monday to Friday by volunteers who are current students of WIUT. The long term aim is to increase the number of children who attend the English language classes from low income households.

The coordinators of the Mahalla English Youth Centre are Kholida Sabirova and Dildora Karimova, Course Leader and Lecturer respectively of the Commercial Law Undergraduate Course at WIUT.  

The U.S. Embassy’s English Language Small Grants Program, which began in 2021, provides small grant funding to projects that further develop and improve English Language learning and teaching. Organizations, institutions and teachers have successfully applied for grant funding.

Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) is the first International University in Uzbekistan and the first of its kind in Central Asia to offer International British Higher Education. It is fully recognised by the University of Westminster (UK). WIUT`s mission is to provide education and research opportunities of international standards that contribute to the intellectual, social and professional development of communities in Central Asia and internationally.