— Good afternoon, Sadyr Nurgozhoevich! Recently, there has been a trend of closing private driving schools and opening state ones. This has sparked much discussion in society. What is the main reason for this step?
— Good afternoon! I have instructed to carry out reforms in this area. For a long time, starting from the collapse of the Soviet Union, no serious changes have been made in driver training and vehicle registration. Initially, this sector was under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then it was transferred to the State Registration Service. But, unfortunately, even with changes in leadership, the system remained corrupt. Most leaders were involved in corrupt schemes.
As part of the reform, we started producing license plates, driver's licenses, and technical passports ourselves, whereas previously all of this was purchased abroad.
Despite distrust and skepticism, we successfully implemented this process. All data is now stored in a unified database, and the system is fully digitized. The main step remains — driving schools.
— Could reforms have been carried out without closing private driving schools?
— Unfortunately, many private driving schools did not aim for quality driver training; they were only interested in profit. Citizens often simply submitted documents and received a certificate of training completion, then obtained licenses from the "Unaa" enterprise without taking exams.
There was a corrupt scheme involving "Unaa," which was responsible for issuing driver's licenses.
As you understand, exams were not difficult, as bribes were often used.
Now, with the introduction of control at the state enterprise "Unaa," many graduates of private driving schools cannot pass exams even after several attempts. There are cases where citizens took the exam up to 15 times and still could not pass it. The reason is that they did not receive adequate knowledge, and no one cared. For private schools, only the client base mattered.
Today, many young people have driver's licenses, but they do not know how to drive a car, believing: "I will buy a car — I will learn."
— Can we link the increase in the number of traffic accidents to this problem?
— There are many reasons, and they can arise unexpectedly. However, one of the main reasons is the low requirements for driver training.
In Kyrgyzstan, more than 900 people die in traffic accidents every year, and in some years this figure exceeds a thousand. This is a real tragedy. Even in wartime, not as many people die as we lose on the roads.
One of the main reasons for the increase in accidents is corruption in driver training, the purchase of licenses, and poor-quality education. We must acknowledge these facts.
— What advantages do state driving schools have?
— State driving schools have created all the necessary conditions: a modern training base, updated equipment, and qualified instructors. Textbooks will be produced independently. Drivers will be trained not only in vehicle operation but also in technical aspects, traffic rules, and road behavior culture.
Here, the priority is not profit, but human life. The safety of citizens is the main priority of the state.
— Owners of private driving schools are unhappy, claiming that their business is closing. What do you say to that?
— We warned them in advance. We informed them that the licenses of private driving schools would be revoked after 2026, and it was necessary to reform this sector. Nevertheless, many continued to operate on old principles, seeking to profit from "training" in 10 days and issuing certificates. This brought in large sums of money, while the responsibility for driver training was not considered.
With such an irresponsible approach, this sector cannot be left without control. We also intend to employ specialists who worked in private driving schools in state institutions.
— Some express dissatisfaction with the training duration, claiming that 10 months is too long.
— In attempts to save their business, they spread various rumors. For example, they claim that training will be expensive and that 10 months is excessively long. However, the cost of training will not be high; calculations are currently underway. Statements that training will cost 100 or 150 thousand soms are just fabrications.
It is important to remember that when a person sits behind the wheel, they are responsible for the lives of their loved ones: parents, family, children. Mederbek, would you trust your son or daughter to a driver without adequate training?
— Of course not, I wouldn't do that.
— Exactly. The safety of your loved ones is a priority. Unfortunately, private driving schools, prioritizing business, issued training certificates without ensuring proper driver preparation. Our goal is the safety of every citizen, the level of knowledge, and experience in vehicle operation.
Obtaining a driver's license is an event that happens once in a lifetime. Therefore, it is better to study longer; it will be beneficial. This will ensure the safety of not only your loved ones but also other citizens.
Unfortunately, cases where people who bought licenses get into accidents on a straight road happen daily and lead to tragedies.
— Is it possible to include driving education in the school curriculum?
— We have already started doing this. Starting in September this year, a course on traffic rules will be introduced in schools.
Our children will learn traffic rules from an early age. Starting next year, graduates will be able to take the exam and obtain a driver's license without additional training. State driving schools will focus on training those who have already graduated from school.
I want to address all citizens: do not succumb to the provocations of those who, for their own interests, try to incite panic. Soon everything will fall into place. It just takes a little time.
— Thank you for the interesting interview!
The interview was conducted by the director of KNAI "Kabar," Mederbek Shermetaliev.
