Issyk-Kul Becomes the Central Asian Dawn
In the photo: Students and teachers from Gymnasium No. 1 in Chui region and School No. 52 in the city of Osh pose for a photo in a joint summer camp on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in July.
Summer camps in the resort area host independent groups of children and children from low-income families with government support.
Various themed children's camps were organized at the popular lake this summer. Children of border guards from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan had an unforgettable time at a summer camp on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. More than 60 children under the age of 12 were able to relax from July 25 to August 6 at the international ecological camp "Border Commonwealth: Issyk-Kul 2014." The summer camp was organized by the Kyrgyz government with the support of the OSCE Center in Bishkek, reported Gulmira Borubaeva, head of the press center of the State Border Service (SBS) of Kyrgyzstan. "In addition, a large program was prepared for children from other countries to introduce them to the traditional culture of the Kyrgyz," she said.
Camps for schoolchildren from Bishkek
This year, the government allocated 5 million soms (about 980 thousand USD) to organize summer recreation for six thousand children from low-income and single-parent families in children's camps on Issyk-Kul and in Osh and Jalal-Abad regions. According to the city education department in Bishkek, there are 111,534 students enrolled in capital schools, of which over 21,000 are children from low-income, single-parent, and poor families. This year, the city hall allocated 2.2 million soms (over 40 thousand USD) from the local budget to organize summer recreation for 2,530 children from this list. "This year, simultaneous summer recreation has been organized in only 39 out of 94 city schools... with various programs for educational purposes. Children are in such camps from morning until two o'clock in the afternoon," said Saule Meirmanova, head of the municipal Education Department of Bishkek. The camps provide memorable experiences. The head of the OSCE Center in Bishkek, Sergey Kapinos, expressed hope that this positive initiative will receive further support. "In July, students and teachers from School-Gymnasium No. 1 in northern Chui region and School No. 52 in the south of the country in Osh organized a joint summer camp so that children could communicate directly with each other, breaking regional stereotypes in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere," said Kapinos. The summer camp program included swimming in the lake, English language lessons, sports games, and leadership workshops featuring Kyrgyz stars and television journalists, the Ministry of Education and Science's press service reported.
Ten-year-old Kubat Jusubaliev from Bishkek remembered the most from the summer recreation how he went hiking with his parents and other children in the vicinity of the capital. "It was unforgettable, like in a movie! We slept in real tents. Together with my parents, we baked potatoes in the fire. I learned so much about life in the mountains," Kubat said. According to the boy's parents, they were thrilled when they received a call from the children's camp inviting them to go on a two-day hike in the surrounding mountains with their children. "In everyday life, it’s not always possible to spend such quality time with a child. We are all delighted with this hike," said Kubat's mother, Aigul Jusubalieva.
An alternative to expensive private camps The government initiative serves as an alternative to camps based in private kindergartens and schools, which are not affordable for everyone. "We called one of those camps located in the city," said Meimanbek Zakirov, a father of three children from the city of Shopokov. "We were told that a four-week stay for children costs 15,000 soms (about 300 USD). This is very expensive for us because we would have to pay 600 dollars for two children, and I earn only 350 dollars a month." Organizers of private camps rent private mansions, adapting them for the needs of children's summer institutions.
Ulan Nazarov, "CA online"
