The competition covered 11 nominations, including areas such as science, education, and urban management. Special attention was drawn to the category "Teacher and Mentor," which received 53 applications. Among the nine finalists in this nomination was Nazgul Marazyakova, the principal of secondary school No. 8 in the city of Kara-Balta.
For Nazgul, this was her first experience participating in such a competition. She noted that the support from colleagues and partners with whom her school implements various educational initiatives helped her take this step. "The name of the competition itself is inspiring, but the most challenging part was to evaluate my work from the outside and talk about it," she shared her impressions.
The results of the competition earned her an honorary diploma, and the library of her school received 100 new books.
Nazgul Marazyakova has 30 years of experience in education, starting her career as a simple teacher and gradually advancing to the head of an educational institution. Previously, she held the positions of principal at Alekseevskaya Secondary School and School No. 11 in Kara-Balta, and she currently leads general education school No. 8.
Under her leadership, schools have repeatedly become prize winners in various competitions, including "Best School of the Year," and teachers regularly take prize places in the "Teacher of the Year" competition. Her students also show good results: in 2025, one graduate received a "Golden Certificate," and another scored the maximum points in the National Testing (ORT).
As Nazgul noted, her school has a mentoring system: experienced teachers help young specialists adapt, and senior students mentor younger pupils. "Today, being a mentor is more than just teaching. It is important to teach children to think, seek answers, and strive for development," she believes.
In her opinion, the main task of the school is to nurture personality. Educators focus on instilling responsibility, hard work, and patriotism in children. Despite the heavy workload, she manages to balance the roles of a leader and a mentor, finding a balance between demand and support. "The successes of the school are the merit of the entire team, while failures are the responsibility of the principal," she emphasizes.
