According to the Ministry of Education, as of December 2025, there is a shortage of 761 teachers in schools in Kyrgyzstan. The highest number of vacancies is observed in general education institutions in the Chui and Batken regions, as well as in Bishkek. What factors influence staff turnover in schools, and what measures are being taken to improve the situation?
Problems with education...
...have become noticeable even in capital school No. 29. One parent, whose child is in the sixth grade, noted that with a schedule of 4-5 lessons a day, only two are actually held. Other classes, such as literature and physics, are absent due to a lack of teachers. "We are currently looking for another school to transfer our child," he shared.The mother of one of the eighth-grade students in the same school added that since the beginning of the school year, there has been a shortage of teachers for Russian language, literature, history, and the course "Man and Society".
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“Physics is taught by our class teacher, who is not a specialist in this field. The situation with chemistry is also not the best, because there are simply no teachers. This worries me, as next year the children will have to take state exams. How will they be able to prepare for them?! We will have to turn to tutors; otherwise, there will be no chance of getting into a good university in Kyrgyzstan, not to mention the possibility of studying abroad. Moreover, the school administration is constantly changing, and with each change, the situation only worsens,” explained 24.kg a resident of the capital.
She also noted that parents used to be able to contribute money for school needs until the authorities imposed a ban.
“We used to spend 4-5 thousand soms a year on security, current repairs, teacher bonuses, and other needs. There were no problems with staff shortages before; there was always a full staff. If we compare it to last year, classes ended after 5 PM, but now on some days, the children have only 2-3 lessons. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind paying now, as long as my child receives a proper education,” lamented the mother.
Some teachers are retiring, while others are resigning to move abroad — to Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, or European countries. Many choose to work in private schools.
According to the Ministry of Education, the greatest shortage is observed among teachers of mathematics, music, Russian language and literature, physics, history, chemistry, and geography.
This affects the results of the National Testing, which are noticeably declining.
High demands and low wages
Angelina Soutova (name changed) — a primary school teacher, began her career in September 2025.“Many young teachers plan to finish this school year and leave. The main reason is the high workload: it is necessary not only to teach children but also to interact with parents and difficult students, fill out reports and portfolios, solve classroom problems, and so on. In public schools, there are 40 students in a class, and maintaining discipline in such conditions is extremely difficult. The issue of salary also matters. For example, with a 24-hour workload, the salary is only 28,000 soms, and after taxes, it remains 22,800,” she said.
She does not hide the fact that she is considering leaving the profession or working only as a subject teacher. “I don’t want to deal with issues related to being a class teacher and constantly bear responsibility for the students. I just want to teach,” the teacher noted.
According to the Federation of Trade Unions, there are several reasons why teachers leave their positions:
- low wages;
- outdated and unsuitable buildings;
- overcrowded classes — up to 50 students;
- expectation of constant availability;
- atmosphere of pressure and misunderstanding;
- lack of respect, safety, and status.
A study by the Trade Union Institute of Labor showed that only 5.5% of applicants want to become educators.
“This indicates that in a few years, there will simply be no one to teach children. The profession has lost its prestige, has ceased to be a dream, and has turned into a trial,” emphasized the FPS.
At the same time, some teachers themselves demonstrate inappropriate behavior. For example, recently in one of the capital's schools, a teacher hit a student standing at the blackboard several times, for which she was dismissed.
We just have to wait for April
In November 2025, teachers in Kyrgyzstan launched a social media campaign, showcasing their salaries. It turned out that some teachers earn even less than janitors and cleaners.According to the Ministry of Education, the minimum salary for a teacher in Kyrgyzstan is 12,000 soms, while the maximum is 72,000.
The salary amount depends on the level of education, place of work, number of teaching hours, workload, and teaching experience, as well as the presence of bonuses for class leadership and checking notebooks.
Starting from April 1, the authorities promise to raise teachers' salaries by 100%.
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As reported by 24.kg, citing President Sadyr Japarov, the current average salary for teachers is 26,000 soms, and after the increase on April 1, 2026, it will reach approximately 52,000 soms.
“In an urban general education school, the salary for a young teacher without teaching experience, who has a secondary pedagogical education, will be 36,800 soms from April 1, and after deductions, he will receive about 31,200. The salary of a high school mathematics teacher working in a remote mountainous area with a coefficient of 1.8 and having more than 30 years of experience is currently 65,800 soms, and will increase to 97,600 from April 1,” he added.
According to 24.kg, the capital's education department has been implementing the "Young Teacher Deposit" program since 2010 to support new specialists in the education system.
Within this program, 100 young teachers are selected annually, who receive additional financial support to their main income.
In December 2025, 49 participants in the program received payments totaling 4 million 465.1 thousand soms.
In addition, the municipality collaborates with pedagogical universities, offering senior students the opportunity to intern and find employment in schools. Together with the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovations (MSHEI), work is underway to form and send applications for training teaching staff in the most in-demand specialties. Agreements on cooperation have been signed with higher educational institutions.
“The implementation of these measures will help retain young specialists in the education system of Bishkek and gradually solve the problem of teacher shortages,” officials are confident.
Recently, a meeting was held at the MSHEI to discuss a new model for training teaching staff. However, when asked by 24.kg what it includes, when it will be implemented, and how the ministry plans to address the teacher shortage issue, the department did not respond.
