The academic year from 2019 to 2020 was a tough one for Tusgal School in South Korea due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which, much like it did around the world, deeply disrupted their everyday operations. Effective January 27, 2020, the Mongolian government imposed a lockdown and all educational institutions were required to run their activities in a non-classroom setting. This requirement continued until August 30.
Beginning the second week of February 2020, the school related all information to parents regarding the virtual lessons prepared by the government. By March 1, the school staff had successfully managed to transfer to teaching online. Teachers used Google Classroom, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, and Google Drive to post their lessons online. The academic office paid special attention to the quality of all virtual lessons, and everything was organized efficiently. While working online, all teachers and staff communicated with each other regularly through online conferencing apps.
During the second and third quarters of the academic year from 2019 to 2020, the teachers of Tusgal School prepared and taught a total of 647 online classes. The decision to loan laptops to five of the teachers during this difficult time proved to be timely and important. The school plans to continue this practice in the future and loan laptops to another five teachers. Commitment has already been made by the school administration to provide the teachers with technical equipment crucial to their professional development.
During this unique academic year, 72 students were awarded scholarships and financial assistance worth 39 million tugriks (US $14,000), whereas for the 2020-2021 school year, 61 students were granted scholarships and financial assistance worth 30 million tugriks (US $10,000). Additionally, due to the difficulties caused by the coronavirus outbreak, parents were able to receive a 20 percent discount for half-year payments for the 2019-2020 academic year, and returning students did not receive an increase in tuition for the 2020-2021 school year.
In order to enhance the educational program, the school provides opportunities that will help students to recognize their hidden talents, develop their skills, and discover their strengths. The school runs ten different kinds of clubs which have been especially adjusted to students’ needs and interests. These include aerobics, piano, guitar, clarinet, table tennis, English, and others.
Moreover, throughout the course of a year, the school organizes four to seven different kinds of extracurricular activities that cover topics such as health, ethics, Mongolian customs, Mongolian language, mathematics, and English. These activities are organized by the initiative of the school staff and the students themselves.
Each year, the success of Tusgal School teachers and students has been recognized not only within the local district but also in the whole city of Ulaanbaatar. They praise the Lord for what he has done through the teachers and students.
At the start of last school year, the school was recognized as the top school in Chingeltei District. This school year, the school was recognized for the following achievements:
Two teachers were awarded the “Senior Educator” award by Ulaanbaatar Office of Education
One teacher was awarded the “Certificate of Honor” by the Mongolian Teachers’ Association
Three teachers were awarded the title of “Excellence” for their teaching methodology
Three teachers were awarded by the Tusgal School administration for their teaching methodology
One teacher was recognized as an “Honorable Teacher” by the Association of Private Primary and Secondary Schools
One teacher was awarded the “Top Teacher” award by the Association of Private Primary and Secondary Schools
In 2019, the school principal, Otgontuya Tserenpil, was invited to participate in the Brazilian business forum to introduce the school. This event was an opportunity to share experiences and to network. At the end of the forum, a proposal was made to collaborate with Brazil Adventist University (UNASP) Campus 3. That means students from Tusgal School will be able to study at UNASP with a 100 percent scholarship. They must only wait for the pandemic situation to be mitigated.
Since its establishment in 2009, Tusgal School in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, has been doing its best to offer Adventist education. Of the 170 students, 26 percent of them are children from Adventists families, studying at the primary and secondary levels of the school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 students left the school to study in public schools for free. However, 40 new students have enrolled at the school.
“In the future, we will continue to focus on expanding our network, building our foreign relations, improving our academic environment, and educating Mongolian children with positive attitudes, keen intelligence, and an international outlook,” Tserenpil says. These are all planned in the context of offering an education with the Adventist philosophy of education that uplifts Christ as the center of all aspects of the school.