In her opinion, the main difficulties were faced by the teachers themselves, who needed to master the new teaching methodology during the summer break.
She also reminded that the 2025/26 academic year will be the first within the transition to a 12-year education system, which will affect students in grades 1, 2, 5, and 7.
“Before the start of the academic year, the ministry and its subordinate structures conducted extensive preparatory work. However, as practice shows, teaching staff, parents, and the students themselves encounter certain problems. For example, many six-year-old children entering the 1st grade did not possess basic social skills. This became a serious challenge, as in some classes the number of students reached 50. Additionally, among those who moved to the 2nd grade were children who were not ready for study, and teachers had to work on this issue during the first quarter,” she added.
Abakir Mamytov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Professor, commented on the new program. He noted that while some consider it complex, it is actually significantly simplified compared to previous versions and is focused on practical application. “Children should be able to analyze and apply knowledge in practice. Changes in the programs are a normal and manageable process,” he emphasized.
Mamytov also pointed out that the transition to 12-year educational standards was prompted by a number of objective reasons.
“Research shows that children are developing faster than 20-30 years ago, both physiologically and psychologically. Therefore, starting the educational process at the age of six was intended to address two tasks: early education and relieving the preschool system. There were many subjects in Kyrgyz schools, but their effectiveness left much to be desired. Our task was to reduce the overall academic load, which sometimes exceeded 1000 hours, while international standards are around 800-850 hours. The new curriculum emphasizes mathematics, natural sciences, English, and digital technologies,” the professor noted.
It should also be noted that some parents of 5th-grade students find the new program truly challenging, especially in mathematics, where a new topic is introduced every day. Textbooks are being updated gradually, and at the moment, a complete set of new textbooks is still not available.
