The Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan has begun phased introduction of school textbooks rent from 2018/19 academic year. The press service of the ministry informed 24.kg news agency.
«Rent fee will only be charged for new textbooks for 5-6 grades — 25 soms per book. We plan to publish new textbooks for 7-9 grades next year,» the Ministry of Education noted.
According to the ministry, it needs about 600 million soms annually to copy textbooks.
In connection with renewal of education and the preparation of new educational standards, the old textbooks are being completely replaced. More than three million copies of new generation textbooks for 5-6 grades on more than 30 subjects have been printed.
The ministry is sure that rent of textbooks scheme will help to accumulate funds for replacement of old textbooks and develop new textbooks.
In case of successful implementation of the project, a sustainable system of self-repayment of textbooks may develop within five years, the ministry believes.
The Ministry of Education approves the list of textbooks and the amount of rent annually. Schoolchildren from families which need social support are provided with textbooks free of charge or on preferential terms.
In 2017/18 academic year, the provision with textbooks was 72 percent.
On July 24, 2018, the government of Kyrgyzstan adopted a resolution on the establishment of Zhany Kitep institution of the Ministry of Education and Science. The money received from the rent of textbooks will be accumulated on a closed account of the fund and used for the updating of textbooks only.
