A 17-year-old schoolgirl from Almaty has
set a world record. Saya Kidirali achieved a perfect score of nine on the
international IELTS exam, a level reached by only half a percent of test takers
worldwide. She has been learning English since she was six and began teaching
it voluntarily at nine. That same year, she founded Kazakhstan’s first Kids
Club, followed by language courses for adults at age ten. Saya has never been
to the United States or the United Kingdom. Even after winning a FLEX grant,
she declined the opportunity to study abroad, choosing instead to develop her
school, which now has 3,000 students.
«Whenever someone called me just Saya, I’d
correct them – Miss Saya, I am your teacher. I took my first IELTS at 11 to
prove my English level,» said Saya, who is also an 11th grade student.
«There were times when senior students
struggled with topics, and they’d turn to Saya for help. I remember watching
her step into a class of older students. At first, they giggled, but by the end
of the lesson, their attitudes had completely changed,» shared school deputy
principal Yelena Taran.
Saya has ambitious plans – she is already a
partner of the British Council and aims to create the world’s largest IELTS
preparation center, where a million students will study each month.
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