Kyrgyzstan

Since 1992, higher education in the Kyrgyz Republic has gone through profound changes. Student numbers have increased massively (from 10% to almost 50% of their age cohorts) with almost half of them studying in some form of distance or part-time arrangements. Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have become hugely dependent on private fees. Although the great majority of students attend public HEIs, less than 20% receive state aid, a large proportion of which is earmarked for teacher training. The absence of a strategy for the development of the sector has meant that there has been no evolution of appropriate quality assurance or of accountability mechanisms for HEIs. Science and research activities are spread among a myriad of small institutes run by the Academy of Science and the line Ministries or within the HEIs, thus fatally dissipating the very small amount of funding available for research. The chapter briefly describes the system, raises some critical issues and suggests policy options for discussion on what kind of system is appropriate at a time when the country urgently needs to improve its competitiveness through the availability of well educated human capital.

This chapter gives a thorough overview of initial and secondary professional and adult education in the Kyrgyz Republic. It discusses options for raising the efficiency of the sector and its quality, its responsiveness to the needs of the labour market, and its significance as a pathway which should be transparent and permeable to the education continuum for a growing number of youngsters and adults in Kyrgyzstan, ensuring lifelong professional and personal development.

This chapter gives a brief overview of the economic, political and demographic background of the Kyrgyz Republic and its educational context, and outlines the rationale, structure and main findings of the present report.

This chapter summarises the main findings of the report and the factors that the team considers to have led to the unsatisfactory PISA performance of Kyrgyz students. The chapter lists discreet recommendations with the aim of highlighting a number of overarching, strategic directions for reformative action. The focus should be on improving the quality of the education provided, and on ensuring that administrators and practitioners have the capacity to meet their responsibilities.

Teaching as a career in the Kyrgyz Republic is experiencing major problems which, if not addressed, will undermine other efforts at educational reform. Teacher salaries are low, amounting to about only 60% of the average wage for the country: teaching is an ageing profession and an unattractive career choice for prospective students, and retention of good teachers, especially in subjects such as mathematics, sciences, IT, languages proves to be very difficult. The chapter also discusses teacher training, the quality of which is found to vary greatly. The review team recommends attributing teachers a high priority in the reform agenda, and suggests reform steps including a re-appraisal of teacher training in terms of provision, content, methodology, evaluation and staffing.

Education reforms have been a persistent element in the political and social development of the Kyrgyz Republic since the first years of its gaining independence in 1991. The effort to establish a new political structure, to cope with a changing economic environment, to build a new civic and social order is still underway, demanding much of the financial and human resources of the country and the attention of its policy makers.

This chapter compares the patterns of education expenditures in the Kyrgyz Republic to other countries at all levels of the education system. It also looks at the transfers from central government to poorer regions.

The provision of early childhood education and care varies widely between rural and urban areas. This chapter looks at the issues concerning ECEC, pre- and inservice training and curriculum. It also gives an overview of donor assistance and offers recommendations.

Article 3 of the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan prohibits all discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin or religious belief. Article 8 recognises the existence of certain discriminatory traditions or customary norms that are obstacles to gender equality in the country. The civil, penal, labour and family codes of Kyrgyzstan all uphold equal rights and the legal framework protecting Kyrgyz women’s rights complies with international standards. Discrimination against women prevails, however, and violence against women is becoming increasingly widespread. Women are generally ill-informed about their rights and the traditional patriarchal system perpetuates gender-based stereotypes.

The document reports on the activities and outcomes of the project for strengthening the existing environmental expenditure information systems in the Kyrgyz Republic and Ukraine. This work was conducted within the framework of the EAP Task Force and implemented by the Task Force secretariat at OECD. These activities have involved an analysis of the current system of environmental expenditure reporting and its compatibility with OECD/Eurostat definitions and classifications, the development of draft reporting forms, instructions and procedures, and a first data collection survey based on OECD/Eurostat methodological standards. Project tasks have been undertaken by a team of international and national consultants in close cooperation with Ministries of Environment and National Statistics Committees in the respective countries, and OECD EAP Task Force.Part One of the report provides an extended summary of the activities and outcomes of the project. Part Two presents the full Country Reports. Part Three presents a synthesis of the workshop held in Kiev on 12 October 2005 to disseminate project findings to EAP Task Force members from EECCA countries.

The attractiveness of Kyrgyzstan for investors has always been considered from the point of view of foreign investment. For more than a decade now, our republic has dreamed of a shower of foreign investment. And for good reasons – only foreign investors have the wherewithal to bring in large volumes of capital, new technology and modern management methods.