Students of Russian-speaking schools will be taught in Kyrgyz language from the next school year. The Ministry of Education and Science confirmed the information to 24.kg news agency.
It reminded that the National Program for the Development of the State Language and the Improvement of Language Policy for 2014–2020 has been adopted.
One of the fundamental goals of the program is the formation of a new multilingual generation of Kyrgyz citizens who are fluent in native, state, official, and international languages.
As part of the program, the Ministry of Education launched a project on multilingual education. As of today,
During the first stage in 2002–2008, the Concept for the Development of Multicultural and Multilingual Education and the target program for its implementation were developed and adopted.
During the second stage (2009–2011), models of multilingual education have been tested on the basis of ten pilot schools.
From 2012 till 2015, at the third stage, the number of pilot schools increased to 56, work in five preschool organizations and two pilot universities has begun. More than a thousand teachers of pre-school, school and university level have been trained in all aspects of multilingual education.
Today, the Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan implements the tasks of the fourth stage, namely, it begins to reform language training in pre-school organizations, schools and universities. Piloting was launched in a number of schools in the country, including 11 schools in Bishkek (No. 62, 41, 70, 6, 27, 1, 54, 19, 38, 63, 75).
«These schools have submitted applications for participation in this project voluntarily, following the results of parent meetings. At the meetings, the parents were explained the tasks of the project. Consent was recorded. After that, schools were included in the piloting of the project on multilingual education," the ministry noted.
It is assumed that at the initial stage, education process in the piloting schools in the state language will be conducted in all subjects within the framework of open lessons and mainly within the repetition of the material.
«Based on the results of the program implementation, it is expected that the level of state language knowledge among graduates of schools with other languages of instruction will correspond to level B1 (threshold). From 2018, graduates of schools will pass state language tests," the Ministry of Education noted.
