Translated with AI
Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov has instructed the country's Minister of Education to identify and fire up to 20% of school teachers deemed insufficiently qualified, according to the Caravan Info portal, citing the politician's interview with the Nomad television channel.
According to Baisalov, approximately 800 surplus schools have been built in Kyrgyzstan in recent years, but insufficient attention has been paid to the quality of education. "I've visited schools, and the principals keep saying, 'Here's the roof, here's the building, here's where we're building.' But I'm interested in what's going on between the teacher and the student. All these years, they've been building schools, not developing education. We've built approximately 800 surplus schools. We're now trying to use empty schools in rural areas as kindergartens," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
He emphasized that the school system must be updated every three years: "Curriculums, methodology, and educational philosophy—everything changes. Participants in the educational process must change, too."
Baisalov announced that he had instructed Education Minister Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva to conduct teacher certification and fire weak specialists. "Identify 15-20% of the redundant teachers and fire them. Yes, there's a teacher shortage, but we'd rather hire people off the street, like former journalists, with good salaries—50-60,000 soms ($572-$686)," the Deputy Prime Minister remarked.
In his opinion, the reforms will not be effective without a renewed workforce. "In Kyrgyzstan, there is a stratum of teachers who are unqualified, who don't meet professional requirements, who not only don't help, but directly harm children, potentially ruining their lives. Why shouldn't I get rid of them? We will tighten these requirements so that teachers develop themselves and meet the demands of the times," the Deputy Prime Minister promised.
He noted that the negative atmosphere in school communities is created precisely by such incompetent teachers, who are often "the most arrogant, taking up all the teaching hours, and hazing young teachers." Baisalov believes it's necessary to change the culture and moral climate in schools so that "schools don't revolve around a cult of personality for the principal or the worship of specific teachers," but rather focus on the child, whom all participants in the educational process serve.
Baisalov pointed out that teachers who entered the profession in the 1990s and 2000s often lack the necessary knowledge and skills, and promised to identify them and impose strict requirements on them. He stated that the Ministry of Education is already identifying such personnel, in particular through computer skills testing: "Many have already submitted [resignation] letters, thereby demonstrating their incompetence and unpreparedness for life in the 21st century."
According to the Ministry of Education, teachers are already being tested in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, computer science, and English. The testing is being conducted online using laptops provided by the ministry and is aimed at assessing their professional competencies, computer skills, and professional development planning. The testing will be completed by the end of November.
Kyrgyzstan previously announced a competition to fill 191 vacant school principal positions, with the largest number of vacancies in the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions—58 and 46, respectively. In Bishkek, the competition is being held for nine principal positions.
