He noted that an important area of this interaction is the educational sector. In particular, one of the major projects is the construction of nine new general education schools in Kyrgyzstan, financed by the Russian Federation. This project has been dubbed "presidential," as its launch was carried out with the participation of the heads of state of both countries.
According to Vakunov, the implementation of this project is aimed at reducing the burden on Kyrgyzstan's educational system in the context of a growing population and an increasing number of schoolchildren. Each of the new schools will be able to accommodate up to 1,224 students, with education being conducted according to Russian educational standards while taking local specifics into account.
Funding for both the construction and operation of the schools, including teachers' salaries, will be provided by Russia. The first three schools are planned to open — in Bishkek, Karakol, and Batken — by September 1, 2027, and similar institutions will then be built in other regions.
An important element of cooperation is also the support of Kyrgyz educational institutions with textbooks in the Russian language and literature. Within the framework of the 26th intergovernmental commission between Russia and Kyrgyzstan, 651,000 adapted textbooks were delivered, and this work will continue.
The ambassador emphasized that the foundation for further development of educational cooperation will be the initiative to create a unified educational space, proposed by the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, and supported by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. The operator of this project is the Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization "Eurasia."
In the field of higher education, according to Vakunov, about 11,000 students from Kyrgyzstan are studying at Russian universities, of which 5,400 are receiving education on a budget basis. In 2025, grants were introduced for gifted young Kyrgyz individuals, which include coverage for travel, accommodation, and medical insurance.
The ambassador separately noted the modernization of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (KRSU), which is being carried out as part of a key project in the field of higher education. A meeting of the board of trustees recently took place, during which development programs for the university were approved.
The Russian side has allocated funds for the construction of a new KRSU campus, which will be able to accommodate 15,000 students. Kyrgyzstan, in turn, has provided a land plot of 30 hectares for the implementation of this project. All necessary memorandums and intergovernmental decisions have already been formalized, and their ratification by the parliaments of both countries is now awaited.
