Recent posts and videos on social media indicate that queues have formed at the institution "Kyrgyztest," making it difficult for citizens to undergo testing. In response, director Batma Topoeva-Stavinskaya explained the situation and the current work schedule.
Reasons for the Long Queues
As reported by Batma Topoeva-Stavinskaya, the mandatory testing for knowledge of the state language for civil servants and those wishing to work in the civil service has led to increased attendance at "Kyrgyztest."
“In the last three days, our work has been actively discussed on social media, and this is quite justified. We have only 50 testing spots available, which are filled in two shifts. The first shift starts at 9:00 and ends around 11:40–12:00, with 2 hours and 40 minutes allocated for the test. After a break, the second shift begins. The rumors that 'we closed the doors and left' may be related to this. However, our staff do not even take breaks. We accept up to 140 people a day, but about 300 come, and many are forced to leave without waiting for their turn,” the director noted.
Improving Working Conditions
According to the director, "Kyrgyztest" will soon move to a more spacious building. Testing centers are also planned to be opened in the regions. “The country's leadership is aware of our situation, and a new facility with better conditions is being prepared. We are working on strengthening the material and technical base. Although this will not happen instantly, we hope for positive changes this year, including the opening of centers in each region,” she added.
Mobile Groups of "Kyrgyztest"
The director reported that a mobile group is operating in the regions, conducting testing in regional centers throughout the year.
“Currently, our mobile group is in the city of Manas in the Jalal-Abad region. Next, they will go where there are the most applications. We only have one such group, and we would like to launch a second one, but we lack resources. In December of last year, we also developed a Telegram chat-bot for citizen registration. First, we queue 30 civil servants based on official applications, then 20 citizens registered through the chat-bot,” she added.
Requirement for Original Documents
The director explained why it is necessary to provide original documents during testing. She noted that cases where relatives or acquaintances try to take the test instead of the candidate are becoming more frequent.
“We require a document with a photo, and staff must carefully verify the identity of the test-taker against the photo. Some citizens are unhappy, claiming that digital documents are accepted everywhere, but we have valid reasons for this requirement: there are recorded cases of people trying to deceive the system. In the last 10 days alone, we identified 8 such cases. Acts were drawn up against them, and they have been banned from taking the test for a year. There are also attempts to bring in smartwatches, micro-earpieces, and phones to access the internet. We must prevent such violations to maintain the integrity of the results,” she emphasized.
Possibility of Remote Testing
“Online testing was introduced in 2019, and the first to take it were employees of embassies and representations of Kyrgyzstan abroad. However, due to dishonest actions, where questions were copied and distributed, this format had to be closed. We plan to implement a proctoring system for exam monitoring in the future, although it is quite expensive. We are also considering the possibility of using fingerprint and Face ID identification technologies,” she reported.
It should be noted that the state institution "Kyrgyztest" was established in 2018 and since then has had over 20,000 people pass through it. The rules for taking tests are available on the official website kyrgyztest.gov.kg. The level of language proficiency is assessed on a 5-point scale, with the possibility of retaking depending on the result. Testing is organized in two shifts according to a pre-approved schedule — at 9:00 and 13:00. The cost of the main test is 450 soms, and retaking one subtest costs 90 soms.
Payment Methods:
- at any bank branch;
- via QR code directly in the office of the "Kyrgyztest" institution.
