Gülkayir Mayrikeeva, the principal of Mukash Bazar Kulov Secondary School in the village of Kara-Bürgön, emphasized that the teaching requirements and workload are the same for all teachers; however, this is not taken into account when determining salaries. She noted that despite promises of salary increases in April, teachers of humanities subjects will again see no changes. "All teachers work hard and spend time preparing lessons. For example, students studying languages and history also take state exams, and their subjects are just as important as STEM disciplines," she said.
Jumakul Mashiripova, head of the Askar Turdakunov Secondary School in the village of Ak-Tal, pointed out that the belief in the priority of STEM subjects is misguided. She believes that all teachers should receive the same salary increase, not just those teaching mathematics, chemistry, or physics. "It is important not only to raise salaries but also to provide quality educational materials and laboratory equipment for students. Inventors' competitions can also help motivate students. The increase in hours for humanities subjects should not be ignored, as it is important for personal development," Mashiripova added.
Gülbarchyn Mamytbekova, a Kyrgyz language teacher at Shukurbek Beishenaliev Secondary School in the village of Bayetov, expressed the opinion that there is currently a preference for one category of teachers over others in the education system, leading to humiliation. She noted that in her 30 years of work, she had never encountered a situation where teachers were divided by "status."
Physical education teacher Bilimbek Kemelov from Mukash Bazar Kulov Secondary School also shared his views on the low salary levels. "After 13 years of work, my salary, including class management, is only 17-18 thousand soms. This is not enough even for basic needs. Humanities teachers seem to have no value in the system, as their salaries remain low," he noted.
Other educators also share the opinion of unfair treatment towards teachers of humanities subjects and are actively turning to social media to convey their position to the ministry and the education workers' union.
