Published
06/03/2026, 10:45Kyrgyzstan continues to face a shortage of teaching staff. According to the latest figures, schools across the country are short of around 640 teachers. This was reported by the Minister of Education, Dogdurgul Kendirbaeva, during a discussion on the situation in the education system.
According to her, the shortage of staff is most acute among teachers who teach in Russian. Young professionals are less likely to choose to work in Russian-speaking classes, so teachers from Russia are being brought in to partially address the problem. There are currently around 140 Russian teachers working in Kyrgyzstan.
In Bishkek, the staff shortage previously stood at around 300 teachers. To reduce this, schools in the capital have entered into tripartite agreements with universities and enlisted senior students to teach. Last year, for instance, around 400 third-year students helped to fill the shortage of teachers in the city’s schools.
The minister also noted that pay rises and expanded social support measures are making the profession more attractive. According to her, a novice teacher in Bishkek with no prior experience can earn around 35,000 KGS a month. In addition, the state is implementing support programmes for teachers, including subsidised mortgages, the provision of laptops and the construction of a health centre for education workers.
According to the ministry, school headteachers are noting a growing interest in working in state educational institutions, including from teachers who had previously moved to the private sector.
