The structure of education in Kyrgyzstan encompasses eight official levels, approved by the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Education" as amended in 1992, 1997, and 2003:
• Pre-school education — nurseries and kindergartens; primary, basic, and secondary general education — various types of schools (lyceum, gymnasium);
• Initial vocational education — vocational technical schools (lyceums);
• Secondary vocational education — colleges, technical schools, vocational schools;
• Higher professional education — various types of higher educational institutions;
• Postgraduate education — graduate school, doctoral studies; additional vocational education for adults and additional education for children.
The main priorities for reforming educational policy were defined in fundamental documents such as the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the law "On Education," the education doctrine, and a number of national development programs, with the primary tasks being accessibility and quality of education.
According to the main macro indicator — the literacy rate of the population aged 15 and older — Kyrgyzstan (97.4%) holds traditionally strong positions in the CIS and the Central Asian region. As evidenced by the results of the first national population census, the educational level of the population in the republic is quite high. Among individuals aged 15 and older, 10.5% had higher education, 10.8% had secondary specialized education, 50% had secondary general education, and 18.3% had basic general education (eight to nine years). In 1999, among the total employed population, the share of women with higher education was 15.1%, while for men it was 12.5%; for secondary specialized education, it was 17.2% and 9.7%, respectively. After obtaining secondary general education, girls are more inclined to continue their studies.
The Human Development Index (HDI) in Kyrgyzstan has shown a stable upward trend since 1996, with the most stable component being the education index of the population. According to the education index (UN), Kyrgyzstan is ahead of Moldova, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, as well as Egypt and Mongolia. In terms of the Human Development Index (UN), Kyrgyzstan surpassed Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, as well as Egypt and Mongolia.
The Kyrgyz Republic is a polyethnic and multicultural society existing in the form of a national state. Education is a factor that integrates and stabilizes a society where various traditions and value systems coexist.
The priorities for the integration of education were outlined in the National Educational Program "Bilim," adopted in 1996. Special attention was given to the issues of accessibility to school education, which led to the adoption of the State Program "Access to Education (Zhetkinchek)" (1999). The uniqueness of this program lay in the open acknowledgment of the existence of children not attending school and the proposal of a system of measures for the universal coverage of school-aged children with education.
Other programs aimed at ensuring accessibility and quality of education included the Presidential Program "Personnel of the 21st Century" (1995), National Programs for Overcoming Poverty "Araket" (1998), "Ayalzat" (1997), "New Generation" (2001), National Action Plan for "Education for All" (2002), National Strategy for Poverty Reduction (2003), "Aiyl Mektebi (Rural School)" (2003).
In addition to national and purely educational programs, there are also a number of specialized programs in the republic, including sections on improving basic education, as well as educational and health work among children and youth. These include state programs "Ayalzat," "Healthy Nation," "Tuberculosis," "Kyz-Bala." The national education system has managed to maintain sustainable development; establish a diversity of programs at all levels of the educational ladder; develop alternative forms and new teaching technologies; and achieve multi-channel financing of educational institutions.
