font-family:"Lucida Bright"">On November 7, the Ministry of Education
of the Kyrgyz Republic announced that an internal structural reorganization
would be carried out in the higher educational institutions of the country.
Kyrgyzstan has too many universities, an quality is far from conforming to
quantity. The poor standards of university education, corruption in
universities, and the prospects of unemployment that most of the Kyrgyz
students face after graduation are problems that the ministry now seeks to
address.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">On November 7, the Ministry of Education
and Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic held a press conference, at which Minister
of Education Kamila Sharshekeeva announced that an internal structural
reorganization would be carried out in the higher educational institutions of
the country. Branches and divisions of universities that do not meet state
requirements of higher education will be abolished. The minister said that the
reorganization is being carried out in order to rationalize the higher
education system, to raise the quality of university education, and to avoid
duplicating training of experts in structural educational divisions.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">According to information provided at the
press conference, there are 43 higher educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan.
They have 143 structural divisions and 16 branches in various regions of the
country. The total number of university students is 200,000.
40,000 of them study in local branches of universities, and 90,000 of
them are non-resident students. 80%
of students pay for their education, while the remaining 20% study free of
charge.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">The number might sound impressive.
However, today’s reality is that quality is far from conforming to quantity.
In fact, the presence of too many universities in a small country like
Kyrgyzstan with 4,6 million people is itself causing problems such as the poor
standards of university education and the prospects of unemployment that most
of the Kyrgyz students face after graduation.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">The quality of university education is
poor, especially in those branches where the material base of instructors is
lacking. The reform that is being carried out will dissolve the branches, or
unite all structural divisions of higher educational institutions that
duplicate each other. In other words, it is an attempt to strengthen the
central structure of Kyrgyz universities and thus to increase the quality of
education. According to the Ministry of Education, the university branches
will not accept new students next year. At the press conference, Sharshekeeva
said that students currently studying in branches of universities to be
dissolved, will be dealt individually and will be given an opportunity to
finish their education. Those structural divisions that duplicate each other
and meet state requirements of higher education will be dissolved before the
end of this year. But next year
their structure will be renewed, their regulations will be amended and they
will have to re-register with the Ministry of Education.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">One of the results of the excessive
number of universities in the country is that most of the graduates cannot
find a job after graduation. During the Soviet era, the number of universities
in Kyrgyzstan was limited. Strict entry examinations meant that very few young
people could actually have access to higher education and for those students
who managed to graduate, there was a guarantee of getting a job. However,
today there are a large number of higher educational institutions and there
are few restrictions on enrollment. Having a university degree now does not
mean that you will find a job.
font-family:"Lucida Bright"">Another problem that the current Kyrgyz
higher education system is marred by widespread corruption. The main factor
that causes corruption is low staff salaries. On average, the monthly salary
of lecturers and professors is between $20-40, while that of rectors is $60.
At the press conference, the Minister mentioned that measures will be taken to
eliminate corruption in universities. According
to Sharshekeeva, the ministry plans to establish financial committees in all
of the higher educational institutions. If
these financial committees are created, the university resources will be
controlled not by a single rector but by several committee members.
Sharshekeeva added that corruption could be fought only through the equal and
transparent distribution of resources.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">The
system of higher education in Kyrgyzstan needs to be reorganized.
The country does not need and cannot afford so many institutions of
higher education. The quality of higher education needs to be raised,
corruption in universities needs to be fought and eventually eradicated. The
reform proposed by the Ministry of Education is a big step toward meeting
these needs and establishing a firm ground for higher education system of
Kyrgyzstan.
Aisha
Aslanbekova