Deputies of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan propose to make secondary vocational education mandatory. The relevant amendments to the Law on Education have been submitted for discussion.
The initiator of the bill Mirlan Zheenchoroyev proposes to introduce free compulsory primary / secondary vocational education for those who have received basic general education (5-9 grades) and who do not wish to continue their education according to the secondary education program (10-11 grades).
«General education has become voluntary since 2003. According to analytical data, 7,000-15,000 graduates of the 9th grade do nothing. Teenagers are left to themselves and the street. Their level of education is low. This has a negative impact on the young people. If there is no control, they can get into criminal groups. Compulsory vocational education will help them get a profession,» Mirlan Zheenchoroyev said.
Compulsory vocational education is proposed to be introduced from 2020. The government is ready to allocate 757 million soms for training of young professionals.
However, not all deputies supported the proposal. Bakhadir Suleymanov believes that the bill would cause resentment among the parents. «We need to raise the quality of education,» he believes.
