This year “Bazar-Art” drew over 3,000 people, which is indicative of the growing profile of the fair, range of items and quality of the exhibition. Professor Gulnara Karimova, the chairperson of the Fund Forum’s Board of Trustees, presented diplomas and prizes to the winners of the two projects.

“Bazar-Art/Spring 2011” winners include: Irada Blinkova (Tashkent), Sirojiddin Rakhmatillayev (Tashkent), Nodir Rasulov (Bukhara), Lutfiya Ruziyeva (Bukhara) and Fotima Gulomova (Samarkand).

Crafts masters` tasks are in many ways similar to teachers` activities. Therefore, also honored were the fifty educators who emerged as winners of the Pedagogical Grants Program which was established in 2006 in an effort to help national educators hone their skills, improve teaching methodologies and provide a stimulus to creative innovation in teaching. All told, 1,320 teachers from educational institutions from across the Republic participated in the Program in 2010. As many as 4,000 teachers have participated in the Program since it was set up six years ago.

Winners in the first and second categories (teachers at schools, pre-school and extracurricular institutions, lyceums and colleges) will be provided with monthly grants throughout the academic year while winners in the third category (directors of schools, lyceums and colleges, deans, vice-rectors and rectors) will be honored with a one-off grant to help develop and implement educational projects. These grants will help educators develop open house classes as well as classes with the use of interactive teaching methods and educational events. The grants are also expected to stimulate teachers to innovation, develop textbooks and other related resources.

This year applications were accepted until January 1, 2011. The applicants’ ideas and projects were considered by a jury panel composed of independent experts who selected the 50 most promising ideas and developments. The applicants who emerged as winners will have the opportunity to implement their ideas and projects in 2011.

Notably, the increasing number of applicants to the Pedagogical Grants Program testifies to the growing popularity of the project.

Besides the Pedagogical Grants Program, the Fund Forum runs two more educational projects: the Educational Grants Program and the Program of Scholarships for Talented Students. Also, in partnership with the British Council, Goethe Institute and the French Institute, the Fund Forum organizes youth-oriented seminars, workshops and master classes. In addition, 100 master’s degree students have the opportunity to participate in the Young Leaders School, a project organized in cooperation with the SISF.

As in previous years, the event was pepped up with a concert that featured Uzbek pop stars such as Zulaikho Boikhonova, Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Ziyoda, Abdulla Shomagrupov as well as Tantana group, the winners of “Yangi avlod” (New generation) Children`s Creativity Festival.