The USAID Accounting/Certified International Professional Accountant (A/CIPA) project, Regional Education Network Association, and Soros Foundation-Kyrgyzstan announce a contest for members of training and methodology associations, creative and academic groups, and professional organizations to develop a pilot state educational standard in Accounting for higher education to facilitate the development of the accounting profession and education in Kyrgyzstan.

Requirements for Participation in the Contest:
Members of training and methodology associations, creative and academic groups, and professional organizations with relevant experience are invited to participate in this contest.

The process will have two stages:
Stage 1: Selection of applications and resumes (From April 9 - 23, 2007).
To participate in the contest applicants must submit the following:

• a brief contest application describing the methodology for identification of general and specific competences of a graduate and structure of the standard with the description of implementation (no longer than 5 pages)
• a chronological-order resume, no longer than 5 pages, that provides (but is not limited to) information on:
• general work experience;
• work experience in development of methodologies, educational standards, study materials and programs;
• continuing professional education;
• participation in various programs/projects
• СAP/CIPA designation (if any).

On 4^th of April «EdNet» Association organized a meeting with representatives of International Education Services Organization and invited university's international department's staff to take part. University's representatives have exchanged with contacts and expressed an idea to be involved in inviting of the international faculty program.
Speaker: Joel Pary, Central Asian Coordinator.

Whole information and application forms.

On 20^th of March 2007 the USAID Accounting/Certified International Professional Accountant (A/CIPA) project (implement by the Pragma Corporation) conjointly with the «Education Network» Association carried out the round table «Development and Promotion of Accounting Education in Central Asia: Cooperation of HEIs, Business, and Professional Organizations», on the base of the State residence «Ala-Archa-2».

The main objective of discussion was the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has involvement in accounting reform in Central Asia for the past ten years and that the initiatives in accounting reform form part of the wider assistance provided by USAID to support small and medium enterprise development in Central Asia.

Education Network Association conjointly with the Kyrgyz State University named after I.Arabaev conducted workshop meeting with the Bishkek Universities' International Departments' representatives and invited foundations, programs, donor organizations to take part at the event.

The goals of the program were to improve work and cooperation of the International Departments with organizations, international programs, foundations, and projects with the aim to raise the quality and level of participation and cooperation of the Universities' representatives with these programs.

The speakers were representatives of international organizations, among them «Soros-Kyrgyzstan» Foundation, «Education Initiatives Support» Foundation, Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, DAAD, ACCELS, IREX, AIESEC, with prepared presentation materials and information about all possible programs for Universities to apply and participate.

At the workshop meeting took part 15 staff members of HEI's International Departments and teachers.

Association of Educational Establishments «Education Network» conducted the workshop meeting with the representatives of Career Centers of HEI's to discuss planning and organization of the Fair.

The main discussion was concentrated on the date and official title of the event. According to the common agreement the Career Fair date was set up to the 20^th of April 2007 under the title «Young Specialist-2007».

Under the intern agreement 12 HEI's of Bishkek will take part at the event. Currently actively carries out different activities on data-base forming on different organizations, companies, enterprises, in order to invite them to take part at the Fair.

Review:
There is the paradoxical situation on the Kyrgyz trade market: high-qualified specialists are in high demand simultaneously with such specialists' high supply and high unemployment rate among young people. This contradiction emerges because do not regulated the intercommunication between businesses and education institutions; young people do not interested in participation at informational and educational events; there is not enough information about employee requirements; the quality of specialists preparation does not coincide with requirements of businesses. The causes if non-qualified preparation of specialists is mostly because pupils made wrong decisions because of information lack about further education when they are on the threshold of university enrollment. Therefore, pupils' lack of awareness lead to students' preparation deterioration, and this has harmful effect on young specialists' preparation.

NDI Digest for Education and Grant Programs For public sector activists
February 27, 2007

Grant Programs

Programs without Deadlines

• "Open Doors" Program of Small Grants, Eurasia Foundation Kyrgyzstan - (Dates are not limited)
•  Grant Program of the National Endowement for Democracy Supporting, - (Dates are not limited)
• Small Grant Program of the Democratic Committee of the US Embassy, Kyrgyzstan - (Dates are not limited)
• Small Grant Project of the Global Women Foundation- (Dates are not limited)
• Grant Program in the context of Central Eurasion Institute of the Open Society - (Dates are not limited)
•  Travelling Grants, SOROS Foundation Kyrgyzstan - (Application deadline - one month before the events beginning. The end date of the event must be no later than December 31, 2007)

Programs with Deadlines

• Small Grants Program for NGOs, Eurasian Foundation Central Asia and World Bank Office Kyrgyzstan - (Deadline is February 28, 2007) - Deadline is coming up!
• NGOs Supporting Program, National Democratic Institution, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - (Deadline till March 9, 2007)

 Competitions

• Announcement: Extension of the Competition for the Best journalist articles about "The Death Penalty Revocation in Kyrgyzstna: Right for Life", SOROS Foundation Kyrgyzstan - (Deadline - March 1, 2007)

Education Programs

Education Programs Abroad

• Summer Leadership Workshop, Central Asian Management Academy (CELA) Istanbul, Turkey - new! (Deadline - April 9, 2007)

Education Programs in Kyrgyzstan

• Trainings "Project Development. Monitoring and Evaluation of the projects and programs" and "Advocacy", ЦПГО Association, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - (Deadline - "Project Development. Monitoring and Evaluation of the projects and programs - March 5, 2007, "Advocacy" - March 15, 2007)
• «New generation of Creative Politics» Project, International Republican Institution, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - new! - (Deadline - March 5, 2007)

    Other Programs and Opportunities

• International Volunteer Camps
• New web-site for free translations for NCOs "Translation for Progress"