Kyrgyzstan's education system is overloaded.

In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Azamat Bekenov's son is starting the new school year without a math teacher because the school is facing a severe shortage of teachers. The school administration is working hard to recruit but has yet to find a suitable candidate.

Therefore, Mr. Azamat and the other parents in the class had to find a teacher themselves by asking around and posting job advertisements on social media. After more than a month, they finally found a math teacher.

With a population of around 7 million, Kyrgyzstan is short of approximately 1,000 teachers. Meanwhile, 40% of the population is under 18, and the number of people attending primary and secondary school has increased by 500,000 in a decade, equivalent to a 50% increase. This rapid growth has overwhelmed the school system, leading to overcrowded classrooms, with some classes having up to 50 students.

Mr. Azamat said, "My second son's class has 52 students, while my youngest daughter's class has 50. My eldest son is luckier, with a class of 38 students."

The current difficulties stem from several deep-seated causes. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan experienced economic decline, migration, and prolonged instability.

Approximately a quarter of the population still lives on less than 50 euros per month. Against this backdrop, education is severely impacted. The curriculum is considered outdated, and the quality of teacher training is declining.

As a result, Kyrgyzstan's labor productivity is among the lowest in Europe and Central Asia, according to a 2023 United Nations report. Prior to that, the country also ranked last in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment in the mid-2000s.

In response to these problems, the Kyrgyz government has implemented numerous reforms to the system. Specifically, approximately 22% of the national budget is allocated to education, including the construction of hundreds of new schools. Teachers' salaries have doubled to around 250 euros per month. The duration of compulsory education has been increased from 11 to 12 years.

However, the reality in the classrooms shows that the challenges remain significant. Gulmira Umetalieva, a teacher in the city of Karakol, describes the inadequate teaching conditions, lacking computers, projectors, and even basic equipment. Many classrooms are dilapidated, with damaged desks and chairs, directly affecting the quality of teaching and learning.

According to statistics, 113 out of approximately 2,400 schools are in critical condition, despite the construction of around 400 new buildings between 2021 and 2025. Furthermore, low salaries and difficult working conditions continue to make the teaching profession unattractive to new professionals.

To compensate for the shortfall, the government has sought international and private partnership initiatives, including the "Teaching for All" program, which sends university graduates to teach in rural areas. Currently, the program is showing many positive signs, contributing to educational change in disadvantaged regions.

Mr. Nassikhat Sarieva, the principal of a secondary school in the village of Bukara, Kyrgyzstan, shared: “The ‘Teaching for All’ program has added English and Russian language teachers. These teachers have modern teaching methods and interact more with students. This is a positive sign for rural education.”

According to AP

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/he-thong-giao-duc-kyrgyzstan-qua-tai-post776480.html