The end of the first school quarter marked the beginning of a five-day break, but a scandal has erupted within the educational community regarding the financial burden on parents.

StoriesShadow school collections in KyrgyzstanSlides: 6
  1. Shadow school collections in Kyrgyzstan
  2. The scale of the problem: Parents pay for repairs and cleaning supplies; Technical staff labor is often funded by citizens
  3. 2.5 billion som — total unofficial school collections
  4. 115 som — annual expenditure per student
  5. «Parents are forced to independently pay for building repairs, the purchase of chalk and cleaning supplies, and the labor of technical personnel.» — Ulukbek Karypbek uulu
  6. State response. The Ministry of Education prohibits illegal collections, but insufficient budget funds for household needs continue to shift costs to parents.

The problem of unofficial payments

Jogorku Kenesh MP Ulukbek Karypbek uulu stated that the volume of unofficial monetary collections in the country's schools reaches 2.5 billion som. According to him, parents are forced to independently pay for building repairs, the purchase of chalk and cleaning supplies, and the labor of technical personnel.

The problem is exacerbated by insufficient budget funds for household needs. The MP cited a Ministry of Finance report, pointing to extremely low expenditure standards.

2.5 billionunofficial school collections (som)
175 millionallocated for cleaning supplies (som)
115annual expenditure per student (som)
127.2 billioneducation budget in 2027 (som)

Position of authorities

The Ministry of Education emphasized that any illegal collections from parents are prohibited and such actions carry liability. Nevertheless, because the state does not cover all the needs of educational institutions, part of the expenses continues to fall on the shoulders of citizens.

According to preliminary data, 127.2 billion som will be allocated from the republican budget to the education sector in 2027. These funds are planned to be directed toward teachers' salaries, improving school meals, and publishing textbooks.