Switch to 12-year school education: Education Ministry outlines upcoming plans

The Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan announced its immediate plans in connection with the transition to a 12-year school education system.

According to the ministry’s press service, the steps include:

• Development of new educational standards for the 12-year school model;
• Implementation of new modules for advanced training of teachers;
• Providing comprehensive methodological support to teachers (reform of methodological centers);
• Providing schools with modern textbooks — 2.5 million copies worth 744 million soms.
• Monitoring the quality of school education (launch of the Department of Education Quality and Implementation of PISA-2025).
• Strengthening civic education of schoolchildren — fostering national traditions, conscious responsibility, tolerance, and active participation in school life.

It’s worth noting that several innovations are planned for the 2025/26 school year. For example, some students may skip a grade, and children who have completed preschool preparation program may be directly enrolled in the second grade, bypassing the first.