What grade Kyrgyz education system deserves and why?

By Aizada KUTUEVA

Thousands of students head toward schools and colleges hoping to get worthy education every year. Does it get influence of time? What mark on a 5-grade scale Kyrgyz education deserves? The news agency "24.kg" asked its respondents these questions today.

I will give "2", and will explain why. First thing is that corruption lowers the level of education, which probably never will disappear. Besides that lack of teachers and teaching materials gives its own impact. We use very old books. It is sad but teachers' authority declined dramatically. Condition of some schools is depressive. We don't have this and that… It is better to ask what we do have.

I would give a grade "3". Teachers managed to save all that was gained in Soviet Union time. This grade is for the teachers' enthusiasm, because salaries are not adequate to teachers' work. I took away 2 points because the education departments failed to keep the quality level. It is worth noting that the young staff qualification is poor. My children grew up and got education of the "old school". That is why they are able to be competitive. And present students receive knowledge only from tutors.

I grade it as "3". Because everything is learned through comparison. When I was in school, we really received good knowledge and the teachers were interested in successful students. But right now main attraction is money. The more money you give the higher grade you get. In my times no money would be able to change my C grade, but now it can change it very easily. All these factors foster teachers to use their rank for their financial profit.

I would grade it as "2"- because of objective and subjective causes. Objective causes are lack of finance for education improvement, textbooks and teaching materials publishing, lack of technology equipment in schools. And subjective cause is that during Kyrgyz sovereignty our education was exposed to different negative experiments, which destroyed for once all the gained experience, not giving any positive input. Often change of education officials also influenced on situation. Besides I cannot ignore the fact that during elections schools transform into unusual state-party agitation centers. It was like that with Alga, Kyrgyzstan! and now with Ak Jol. Bigger portion of public opinion is formed by teachers, who are forced to work as agitators. Those who do not agree with this "rule" get fired.

Anatoliy Ivannikov, Kyrgyz vise-Minister of Education and Science did not answer anything, explaining it with his full busyness. Accusing endless meetings, he hung up the phone. Probably, for Anatoliy Grigorievich this question is really uncomfortable.

I evaluate Kyrgyz education on "3". I will not give lower, like "2", because the basic education system parameters are right. Besides, structures, maintenance, working conditions correspond to the world standards.

Kyrgyzstan was a pace-maker of education among Central Asian states till 2000. Neighboring countries showed their interest in our education system on different meetings. Turkmenistan and Tajikistan had very low level of education, Uzbekistan was a closed country as it is now, Kazakhstan did not have bad condition, and even they were jealous of our system. But after 2000 the quality declined. Maybe it happened because the government was focusing more on economic block. It also worth noting, that if first 5 years Kyrgyz ex-President Askar Akaev was surrounded by science intellectuals, now they are changed by money-bags. We just quit feeling the pulse of time. All that is left for us is to be jealous of Kazakhstan that develops so fast.

Kyrgyz education worth grading it with "3". I give the grade it deserves. Because of bad teaching techniques my daughter does not like to read literature anymore. School concept lost its spirituality. This is where all troubles come from. Teachers so caught up in every day problems, do not pay needed attention to the students. I totally understand, life got tougher, but if person works at school he needs to realize what a special material he is working with - children. For most of the students, especially primary school ones teachers are ideal, that is worth imitating.

I grade it with very weak "3". My opinion is influenced by the factors like lack of teachers for some very important subjects and it of course influences the education base. The situation with college teachers and professors is not any better. Schools equipment, textbooks and study materials provision is very poor also. Many of us get confused with the issue of what education system we are working with. Financing issues become a nonsense, when we are forced to make optional contributions, and then not. Anyway, the conditions that our children have to study in are beyond any criticism.