Jibek Koichukulova: «In Kyrgyzstan, there is a need to open accessible preschool educational institutions»

There is a need to open preschool educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, which will be accessible to all children, regardless of their social status. Jibek Koichukulova, the Director of the Roza Otunbayeva Initiative, discussed this issue at a press conference with Kabar, the Kyrgyz National News Agency.

According to Koichukulova, paying the salaries of the employees of these institutions will cost the government approximately 168 million soms.

“Last year the Ministry of Education and Science saved more than 300 million soms allocated by the state. As a result the money was spent on other things. Therefore, funding children's centers is possible,” said Koichukulova.

She noted that around the world increased funding is going to preschools.

“If the government works with the early educational development of children now, in the future we will have a multicultural society. Currently in the Kyrgyzstan, there are 860,000 children aged 0 to 7 years. Of them only 14% are able to attend kindergartens, childcare centers, etc. That is only in the cities – Bishkek, Osh, Karakol, Naryn, and others. But if we take the remote areas of the republic, it is, in general, only 7%,” said Koichukulova.

The Roza Otunbayeva Initiative, with the financial support of UNICEF, has started a project in Kyrgyzstan called "Advancing the mandatory annual school preparation for children of six years," which will run from March to December of this year. Its purpose is to facilitate the expansion of preschool attendance.