A major institutional reform has been carried out in Kyrgyzstan: the Ministry of Education and Science has been divided into two independent agencies. The decision is aimed at improving the efficiency of managing the education, science, and innovation system. What changes have been made and why are they necessary – read below.
What happened?
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree establishing the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation.
The new structures were formed on the basis of the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as the State Agency for Intellectual Property and Innovation.
Functions of the new agencies
The Ministry of Education will be responsible for preschool, primary, basic and secondary general education, as well as initial vocational education.
The Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation will take over functions in the field of scientific and scientific-technical activities, higher education, innovation, and intellectual property.
In addition, the National Attestation Commission under the President has been reorganized into the Higher Attestation Commission, which is now subordinate to the new Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation.
Why are such changes needed?
According to the decree, the reform is aimed at forming an integrated and results-oriented management system in the field of education, science and innovation. It is expected that this will achieve several key goals, in particular:
- improve the efficiency of administration in higher education and scientific activities
- ensure closer interaction between educational and scientific structures
- expand opportunities for young scientists to participate in research and innovation projects
The idea of dividing the Ministry of Education and Science has been discussed for a long time. Experts noted that the united department covered too wide a range of areas – from preschool education to science and intellectual property – which, in turn, made effective management difficult.
Now, according to the initiators of the reform, two specialized ministries will be able to focus on their priority tasks and ensure more dynamic development of the education and science system in Kyrgyzstan.
