Svetlana Gerasimova

Svetlana Ivanovna Gerasimova was born on 2 February 1951 in Tashkent. She received a higher education in philology, specializing in Russian literature, and from 1974 taught Russian language and literature in Tashkent schools, among them Schools No. 187, No. 64 and No. 50, as well as schools in the Mirzo Ulugbek district.

At School No. 50 she rose from teacher to deputy head and then to director, a post she held from the late 1980s (1988 is the year most often given) until January 2010. Under her the school worked as a gymnasium: it had its own curricula and teaching plans, aids for the primary grades and separate programmes in physics, mathematics, chemistry and biology. As director she also worked on the school’s facilities and on attracting teaching staff, keeping close ties with teacher-training institutions.

Gerasimova is the author of a “Concept of Aesthetic Education” built on the idea of pupils’ free creativity. By a decree of 29 September 2000 she was given the title People’s Teacher of Uzbekistan, and she also holds the badge of Excellent Worker of Public Education.

From 2003 she headed the Russian Cultural Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a humanitarian and educational organization that runs a programme for the study of Russian culture, holds festivals, concerts, literary evenings, seminars and conferences together with state and international public organizations, and supports the Russian language and culture in the country. She remained its chair until December 2009.

In 2005 the Tashkent city Council of People’s Deputies elected her a senator of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan. In the upper chamber she served on the Committee on Foreign Policy Issues; her term as senator ended in 2009–2010.

By a decree of the Russian president of 28 February 2008 Gerasimova was awarded the Pushkin Medal for her contribution to spreading and studying the Russian language and preserving cultural heritage. In 2007 she received a letter of gratitude from the mayor of Moscow for her work in developing ties with the historical homeland and promoting Russian cultural values.