M.M.Kidibaev Minister of Education

Qualitative education for all young people: priorities, tendencies and appeals

Dear ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues!
Our main priority for all young people is to give qualitative education.

Provision of qualitative education for everybody is the main priority in the sphere of education of the Kyrgyz Republic.

We will be responsible for provision of achieving the aim and make solutions of the tasks of Education for Everybody (EFE) and subsequent support of the gained level. We are going to reach these aims on the basis of wide partnership with the participation of non governmental and international organizations with the active assistance of the National Forum on education for everyone, also realizing National plan on Education for Everybody (EFE) approved by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Kyrgyz Republic is developing by formulating the open civil society and democratic government. Long and difficult way of restructuring of the economical system of the country and reorientation of the government policy was done from the moment of gaining independence. Deep transformation of the conscience of people was reached. That`s why the education and it`s role in expanding possibilities of each person and remodel of the community are so important in the country.

The main task of the professional education is full and operative satisfaction of the rebuilding of the economy in the staff of necessary qualification, maximum possible participation in softening negative subsequences of unemployment by improving of the teaching system, reeducation, training and improving of the quality of the professional education, putting on the higher information technology level, responding to the international standards.

Support on the education of people will allow Kyrgyzstan to save deserved place in the world. Investments in improving of the quality of human capital is the term of development of all sectors of the Kyrgyz economy.

We have good indications about general covering of young people in the secondary education. Covering of the secondary education (5-10th grades) makes up 86,7%, boys – 85,4% girls – 88,5%. Number of schools have increased for last seven years from 1794 in 1991 till 2029 in 2003.
Today about 1 million 160 thousand kids of school age study in compulsory institutions. This is higher for 212 thousands than in 1991 (948.3 thousand students). Basic education system in Kyrgyzstan is compulsory and free of charge.

The main problem which is constantly controlled by the government is the problem of access of education for orphans and children with problems in development. Special schools have been arranged for them during last years. Taking into mind the world experience we are aimed to open corrective grades for public schools which will allow not to separate a child from the family and carry out the child’s education and breeding up in the conditions of regular school.

Big address support for children from socially not defendant levels of the population is made up through National programs.

Nowadays 37 institutions for orphans and children without care of parents, children with problems in developing function in the Republic.

Among preventive measures on keeping contingent of students were the following: acquiring of school uniform and facilities, provision of free of charge books from the fund of school library, provision of food from subsidiary farming. In some towns of the Republic free of charge food and free of charge delivering of students to the educational institutions have been arranged. These activities have helped to decrease the number of children not attending school.

Talking about access to the basic education, it is necessary to note the development of rural schools. The problem of rural school was one of the main during the whole period of education development in Kyrgyzstan. This is characteristic for countries where the main sphere of production is agriculture.

The number of rural schools for today have made up 1629, it is 80% more than all compulsory schools of the republic. 787 500 students or 77% from all the students of the republic study in these schools, 21 653 teachers or 72% from teaching staff also work in these schools.

In 2003 the program «Rural school» was developed and approved by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic with the purpose of necessity of raising qualitative level of rural student training on the basis of renewed system of education with taking into account regional, social economic and cultural peculiarities.

Energetic measures on spreading and introducing of Information Computer Technology (ICT) into the system of education were arranged in our country. Number of schools having computers has made up 1327 or 65% from the total number of schools in the 1st of April, 2003. If in 1996, 606 students used 1 computer, in 2003 - 240 students were able to use 1 computer.

Beginning from 2001 independent evaluation of students` achievements under financial support of UNESCO and UNISEF was conducted in the Republic. Monitoring and estimation of students` achievements are also being conducted.

In spite of hard financial situation in the Republic measures on developing of pedagogical staff are being held, where nowadays more than 73 thousands of teachers work. Big support to schools in training of the teaching staff is made up by the Asian Bank of Development.

66 middle professional educational institutions exist in the Republic where more than 25 thousands students study. This system is fully safe and supports sphere of reproduction in the labor market.

Nowadays, when growth of industry has started, intensive restructure and modernization are being held, small and middle enterprises and also service sectors are being developed, high qualified technical staff and managers of the middle range who can and must prepare system of middle professional education are newly required.

Net of high educational institutions has increased in the Republic during last 4 years. 45 higher schools including 13 non governmental institutions function today in the Republic.

During last 5 years interstate educational institutions like Kyrgyz-Turkish, Kyrgyz-Slavic, Kyrgyz-Uzbek state universities have been opened in the country, 6 departments of high educational institutions of other countries were also opened. Geography of location of higher educational institutions have changed to the priority of regions, universities are opened in all oblast centers which is one of the reformation directions of higher educational system. It gives the opportunity to the youth to get higher education and use acquired knowledge in the conditions of economical crisis. Number of specialties on training staff which are 206, have increased twice, contingent of students have also increased more than twice, they are in total over 199 thousands.

Many stepped educational system have been arranged together with the traditional training of specialists. Programs of training Bachelor are being realized in 36 higher schools, master programs in 12 higher schools, among them Kyrgyz National University, Bishkek State University, Kyrgyz State Architecture Constructing University, Kyrgyz Technical University, Academy of Management under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. Practical steps for organizing public state system of management of high schools were done. Such kind of democratic form of management like Board of Trustees has started working. Nowadays Board of Trustees work in 5 higher schools, 8 of them are ready for experimental work.

Big attention is continuing to be paid to the content of education. New generation of educational standards and programs are being developed. Complex measures for raising quality of education is being developed with the usage of modern technology in the educational process.

The work on development of information system and technology in the educational process and science has started and is successfully improving in the leading higher schools of the Republic and this makes conditions for rising investment attraction and activity. The following higher schools can be transferred to them: Kyrgyz National University by J.Balasagyn, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, Kyrgyz Polytechnical University by I. Razzakov, Osh Technical University, Kyrgyz-Turkish University by Manas where the leading tendency is transferring from study of computer technology to study of informative and communicative technology. Therefore, the center of information system and technology of management intensive study function in the Kyrgyz National University. The task of the center is to train high qualified specialists in this sphere, specialists oriented to the science research pedagogical activity in the sphere of informative technology. Students participate in the development of the new program products of automotive management, development of universal data bases, means of development of WEB technologies, which influence to the renew of the content of the education, change of state and educational programs, expand of possibilities of additional education and self education, increase number of individual work of students.

In the speech of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic A.A. Akaev it is noted the necessity of training specialists capable to solve professional tasks in terms of informatization of society and introduction of new science technologies. No doubt, that by developing and concretisizing main provisions of education development it is necessary to take into account priority of training of engineering staff. Exactly this direction of higher education reformation has become the main part of the national strategy of Sustainable Human Development. Here we may quote the words of Richard Morrow, the chief of National Engineer Academy of the USA: «Nation having best engineer talents, owns the main component of economical and industrial superiority».

In many higher schools the principle of branch narrow profile staff training is being used, that explains the incapability of alumnies to be flexible and operatively to restructure their activity in correspondence with changes in technique, technology and existing production situation. The point is in staff training, except high professional qualification which is capable in organization of production of competitive product, in thinking out of standards, in working in team owning new innovation culture.

We think that when considering main directions of development of modern high technical education we must determine new definition of professionalism which will provide formation of a new specialist. First of all, the specialist must be responsible for the whole scientific technical activity based on the globality of thinking, encyclopedic education capable of creative work on all levels of the life way, capable of creating effective system and objects of investigation, projecting and developing technology till production and entrepreneurship, i.e. specialist who could accept innovation capable to generate and bring to life. Otherwise, in the conditions of market economy these young people will not be useful neither for their career, nor for the country.

It is known that training of modern engineer is much more expensive for the country than training of specialist of other fields. It requires more resource and modern laboratory study equipment, special components and materials, electricity, utilities and much more. Financial sources for creating and developing study laboratory bases are not allotted since long time and existing previous equipment became old morally and physically.

In this connection we consider constructive suggestions of rectors of higher institutions to strengthen relations between higher schools and profile institutions of the Academy of Science of Kyrgyzstan, opening of mutual techno - parks and techno - policy interrelation and close cooperation of technical higher schools with industrial enterprises and production companies, especially in the sphere of small entrepreneurship.

Nowadays, the system of education of Kyrgyzstan is in the process of reformation and transformation and solves difficult tasks of world educational space. In this connection the Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan suggested the project of integration of higher institutions of Kyrgyzstan into Bolohn process. This step is important and timely because Bolohn agreement is directed to the internationalization of higher education with the aim of guaranteeing of modern quality of education as the basis for trust, relevancy, mobility, interaction and attraction.

On the basis of developed program «System Developing Strategy of High Professional Education of the Kyrgyz Republic» by the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan another program «Bolohn Process» and innovational openness of universities was developed.

Taking into account all importance of higher education for national interest of Kyrgyzstan new tasks appear in front of us which must be solved in the nearest time by mutual efforts of the Government and civic society. One of the main important tasks of the system of high schools of the Republic is the satisfaction of public requirements of excess of qualitative higher education.

Nowadays, the importance of introduction of European standards into higher education institutions are studied in the higher educational institutions of the Republic with the aim of acceptance of documents about higher education in correspondence with the fundamental principles of academic freedom and democracy, founded by Sorbon Decloration. Introduction of credit systems by ECTS type to the system of high education, reformation of higher education system in the level plans, cycles will promote, first of all, to the development of students` mobility. For example, world spread system of credit hours was introduced in the International University of Kyrgyzstan which gives the opportunity to students to transfer from any course and continue education in American and European higher educational institutions.

The outstanding achievement of higher schools for the last ten years has become it’s transference to multi channel of self financing. Besides budget, higher institutions wildly use funds for education on the basis of contract, sponsor sources, investments, incomes from additional education services and others. In 2002 new system of financing of state higher institutions was introduced in the Republic as a state educational grand. Budget sources allotted for payment of higher education, are distributed between students who were selected on the basis of Republic general testing results.

The purpose of the Republic general testing first of all is objective evaluation of students’ knowledge of schools, their readiness to study in higher educational institutions, checking of their ability to use knowledge acquired at schools. Moreover, testing allows to give to the process of entrance to higher institutions transparency and excludes any kind of corruption.

Thanks to the aimed and systematical work on mass occupation of children of school age, providing access of education to all categories of population of Kyrgyzstan, we managed to keep high level of education of the population from the age of 15 to 24.

However, high indications of literacy index do not always mean that functional literacy has the same level. By the result of selected social poll conducted by different associations, funds, centers (as a rule, non governmental) during last 10 years in Kyrgyzstan subsequent decrease of the functional literacy level was noticed among adults.

Today, except knowing how to read and to write, it`s required to understand the written (for example, laws, instructions), it immediately increases statistical indications of the quantity of illiterated, not fully but functionally. However, it is necessary to note that functional illiteracy becomes more problematic and transforms to the factor of risk.

Characteristic to our time problems, connected with the existing process of globalization, tension and marginalization threat require new creative solutions.

Thus, the training of teachers is the impartial part of the educational process during the whole life and in all it’s aspects, training also assists to the spreading of education on the level of the family and community and develops dialogue between cultures, with taking into account existing differences and diversities, assistance to the world culture.

Nowadays, full development of the person becomes impossible without active participation in public processes and adaptation to the culture, ethno religious, political, economical diversity. Only accessible way for everyone is constant education which can help young people to overcome this problem.

According to the fact, that the knowledge becomes older very fast, it is not enough for individual to learn forever: because of changing requirements of technological and public development, there is constant necessity to increase the qualification to solve new given tasks on the work, in the society and policy. As far as the study will accompany the human being, the basis of this knowledge must be founded at the first steps of education, creating sustainable capability to education, capability “to learn and learn”. Along with the development of full professional knowledge, education during the whole life is aimed at the strengthening of feelings of responsibility and participation in the life of community. In future economical, public and political achievements of the Republic will depend more and more on the level of “education”, i.e. on the constant education of young people, civic society.

Having basic knowledge and capabilities of high quality, youth and adults easily adapt to new social economic realities, have less problems with occupation because they are capable to open working places for themselves. Education for adults (EFA) is the strategic means of fighting with unemployment and instrument of social mobilization.

Net of institutions, centers, funds, associations, education institutions for youth and adults is expending in Kyrgyzstan. Majority of higher educational institutions gives education by the program of the second higher education. Different nongovernmental institutions give education for youth and adults through professional programs, half professional courses and courses of civic education.

Understanding actuality of the given sphere, some strategic measures on development system of education of adults of Kyrgyzstan are being taken:

Corresponding articles and definition of education of adults are introduced in the new Law about education (adopted by the Legislative meeting of the Kyrgyz Republic in April 25th, 2003). New Provision about additional professional education in the Kyrgyz Republic developed by the Ministry of Education was approved by Decree #53 of the Kyrgyz Republic Government in February 3, 2004. During the period of administrative reforms in December 2002 in the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic a new structural department-sector of education of adults was opened. We developed strategic documents on education for adults: Project of the law on education for adults and project conception of development of adults’ education in the Kyrgyz Republic. Counsel of social partners of professional education was opened with the participation of owner, government structures (Government, boards and educational institutions) and civic sectors (NGO).

Dear colleagues!

We have started the new system of education of youth and adults which will cover all constant education as formal and informal education, and all the specter of unofficial and additional education; it will provide unique government policy in this sphere; will provide sustainable education system development for adults and young people, it’s integrity to the world educational space; will form legislative normative basis; will assist to the organization of training and improving of the specialist qualification for the work with civic society, also development of the international cooperation.

I’d like to note one more time that we are trying to create necessary atmosphere for youth and adults, where they could study and develop; provide access to the qualitative education for all people of correspondent age; give the opportunity to the population to get education in any age, if the knowledge was not accessible in time because of some reasons.

Thanks for attention!