Kyrgyzstan will award its first 12-year secondary school certificates in 2029, President Sadyr Japarov said in an interview with the Kabar news agency.
According to the president, the transition to a 12-year education system is a necessity driven by global standards and the demands of the international education and labor markets. Without this shift, he noted, Kyrgyz graduates would be forced to spend an extra year preparing to meet entry requirements for foreign universities.
Japarov stressed that building a competitive human capital base is crucial for Kyrgyzstan’s integration into the global economy.
Addressing concerns about overcrowded schools and shortages of classroom space, the president said the issue is not directly linked to the education reform. Over the past decade, the number of schoolchildren in the country has grown by 500,000, reaching 1,536,633 students.
He attributed the pressure on the education system to demographic growth and increased internal migration to urban centers, which has created an urgent need for new schools and kindergartens. Japarov assured that the shortage of educational facilities will be addressed gradually through a systematic approach.
