Due to the transition to a 12-year school education system, schools in the capital that lack enough student places will rent classrooms in kindergartens. Fariza Soltogulova, a chief specialist at Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, told on the air of Birinchi Radio.
It was noted that about 122,000 children are preparing to start school across the country. About 78,000 of them are currently enrolled in preschool programs at schools, so places for them are already secured. Other 38,000 preschoolers attend kindergartens, while the rest got to other extracurricular or private organizations and student places will need to be arranged for them.
Fariza Soltogulova added that a nationwide analysis was conducted to determine how many additional student places would be needed for the upcoming 2025/26 academic year.
The most significant shortage of places is expected in Bishkek, Osh, as well as in Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Chui regions.
According to the specialist, a republican headquarters has been created to address this issue.
«In Bishkek, for example, two or three schools will be linked to a single kindergarten, where they will rent several classrooms for first-graders, and school teachers will come to teach lessons there. In other regions, there shouldn’t be any major issues,» she explained.
The Department of Education of Bishkek told uzsushi.com news agency that there are 120 schools in the capital, and overcrowding is observed in both general education institutions and kindergartens. According to officials, analysis and monitoring are still ongoing, so it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions.
It’s worth recalling that as part of the transition to the 12-year school education system in Kyrgyzstan, several changes are planned for the 2025/26 academic year. For example, some children will be able to skip a grade, and those who have completed a preschool preparation program will be enrolled directly in the second grade, bypassing the first grade altogether.
