In his speech at the People's Kurultai, President Sadyr Japarov emphasized that the initiative to switch to a new learning model came personally from him. He mentioned how several years ago, while in Europe with his family, he encountered the fact that his son's diploma was not recognized, as many countries had already transitioned to 12 years of education.
“The first year was exclusively organizational and very challenging. We developed numerous regulatory legal acts, approved new educational and subject standards, and adapted textbooks. The new textbooks are created based on the principles of 'learn, inspire, analyze.' Unlike the previous ones, which focused on memorization, the new textbooks take into account the needs of the modern labor market, which requires competitive specialists,” noted Kendirbaeva.
She also pointed to the results of the PISA study, confirming that the knowledge of schoolchildren from Kyrgyzstan does not meet modern requirements.
“In the first year of the transition, changes affected four grades: first, second, fifth, and seventh. Teachers of these grades underwent training, and new textbooks were created for them. Starting from February 2024, the release of new textbooks will continue, and nearly 4 million copies have already been printed. If previously 20-40 million soms were allocated for publishing, in 2025, it is planned to allocate 856 million soms for the creation of textbooks in the exact sciences,” added the minister.
Kendirbaeva acknowledged that the current year has been challenging both materially and emotionally, considering the criticism from society.
“Many said that there is a lack of textbooks, that there are 50-60 children in classrooms, and that the Soviet system was better. No one disputes that the Soviet system had its advantages, but it is important to understand that this era has ended. We have been living in a different time for 33 years, and while we seek balance, our children are becoming labor migrants in other countries,” she emphasized.
The minister noted that the new educational system is based on state and family values in accordance with the concept of "Ungu Jol."
“Yes, it was difficult. During home renovations, disputes also arise: one wants one thing, another wants another, and the children choose their own. If previously the teacher was the only source of knowledge, that is no longer the case. Modern children use gadgets from birth and may know some things better than teachers, which is why we changed the education system,” concluded Kendirbaeva.
