Aldiyar Abduali, participant of the British Council’s Global Changemakers initiative, won a Eco-Entrepreneur Competition organised by Cambridge Education Group and was awarded a 100 % scholarship for a one year Foundation Programme.

The goal of Eco-Entrepreneur Competition was to motivate students to offer solutions for environmental problems. The competition was open to both private and state schools in Kazakhstan, and was advertised with the support of the British Council and Intellect Student Journal. Over 40 applicants sent in essays indicating the strong level of interest in winning the scholarship.  Of these, 5 were shortlisted by the Principal at CATS College Canterbury and the science department, three from private schools and two from state gymnasium schools.  Participants were then asked to attend an interview and to give a presentation at the British Council office in Almaty.

Interviews were conducted by Jonathan Ullmer, Principal, CATS College Canterbury, Marie-Louise Banning, Ambassador for CATS Colleges, and Lena Milosevic, Director of the British Council Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. Candidates were asked why they wished to study in the UK, what were their aspirations later in life, and why they had chosen the topic for their essay. After lunch, presentations were given to the panel and to their family, friends and teachers who had come to support them.  Following the presentation, the panel convened to make their decision.  Students were marked on their presentation skills, their level of English, and the subject matter in their essays.  Most important of all, was their willingness to contribute to environmental change in global issues and their later aspirations.

The final candidates revealed a high level of application and creativity. Topics varied from traffic pollution in Almaty to an excellent presentation on the need to protect snow leopards.  The competition reflected some excellent teaching in Kazakhstan.  

After much consideration 100 % scholarship for a one year Foundation Programme was awarded to Aldiyar Abduali for exceptional self-awareness, intelligence and creativity.

The photo and information about the competition were provided by Cambridge Education Group.