According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education as of December 2025, there is a shortage of 761 teachers in Kyrgyzstan's schools. The highest number of vacancies is recorded in Chui and Batken regions, as well as in Bishkek. What prevents the retention of staff in educational institutions and what measures are the authorities taking?
Problems in the classroom...
...have arisen, in particular, at Bishkek's School No. 29. One parent of a sixth grader reported that, despite the schedule, only 2-3 lessons are held each day instead of 4-5. Other subjects, such as literature and physics, are not taught due to a lack of teachers. "We are looking for another school to transfer our child," he shared.Another mother, whose child is in the eighth grade at the same school, noted that since the beginning of the school year, there have been no teachers for Russian language and literature, history, and the subject "Man and Society".
“Our class teacher teaches physics, even though he is not a physicist. A similar situation exists with chemistry — there are simply no teachers. I am very worried because the children will have to take state exams next year. How will they manage?! We will have to spend a lot of money on tutors, otherwise, we won't be able to get into good universities, even in Kyrgyzstan, let alone foreign institutions. The constant change of principals at the school only exacerbates the situation,” she told 24.kg.
Previously, parents collected money for school needs until the authorities prohibited it.
“Every year we paid about 4-5 thousand soms, which went towards security, current repairs, additional payments to teachers, and more. Back then, there was no problem with a shortage of teachers; all positions were filled. If we compare it to last year, our lessons always ended after 5 PM. Now, sometimes the children have only 2-3 lessons a day. Honestly, I wouldn't mind paying again, as long as my child receives a proper education,” the mother added.
Some teachers are retiring, while others are leaving the country — moving to Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, and European countries. Many are choosing private schools.
The Ministry of Education reports that there is a particularly acute shortage of teachers in mathematics, music, Russian language and literature, physics, history, chemistry, and geography.
This has affected the results of the nationwide testing.
Heavy workload and low salary
Angelina Soutova (name changed) — a primary school teacher who started her career in September 2025.“Many young teachers plan to finish this school year and resign. The main reason is the heavy workload: it is necessary not only to teach children but also to work with parents and difficult students, compile reports, maintain portfolios, solve classroom problems, and so on. In public schools, there are 40 students in a class, and under such conditions, maintaining discipline is very difficult. The issue of salary is also of great importance. For example, for 24 hours a week, I receive only 28,000 soms, and after tax deductions, I am left with 22,800,” she shared.
She does not hide her thoughts of leaving the profession or becoming a teacher of specific subjects. “I don’t want to deal with the problems of a class teacher and bear constant responsibility for the children. I just want to teach,” emphasizes the teacher.
The Federation of Trade Unions previously outlined the reasons why teachers are leaving their positions:
- insufficient salary;
- old and unsuitable buildings;
- overcrowded classes — 50 children per teacher;
- expectation of round-the-clock availability;
- atmosphere of pressure and misunderstanding;
- lack of respect, safety, and prestige.
The trade union labor institute conducted a study, according to which only 5.5% of applicants consider a teaching career as their future.
“This indicates that in a few years, there will be no one to teach children. The profession has lost its prestige and has turned from a dream into a trial,” noted the FPS.
Nevertheless, some teachers also behave inappropriately. For example, recently in a capital school, a teacher struck a student standing at the blackboard several times. As a result, she was fired.
Surviving until April
In November 2025, teachers in Kyrgyzstan launched a social media flash mob where they shared their salary amounts. It turned out that some educators earn less than janitors or cleaners.According to the Ministry of Education, the minimum salary for a teacher in Kyrgyzstan is 12,000 soms, while the maximum is 72,000.
The salary amount depends on the level of education, region, workload, number of teaching hours, experience, and any additional payments for class leadership and grading assignments.
From April 1, the authorities promised to increase teachers' salaries by 100%.
According to President Sadyr Japarov, the average salary for teachers currently stands at 26,000 soms, and after the increase on April 1, 2026, it will reach about 52,000 soms.
“In the city, the salary of a young teacher without teaching experience and with a secondary pedagogical education will be 36,800 soms from April 1, and after all deductions, they will receive approximately 31,200 soms. The salary of a mathematics teacher in a secondary school working in a remote mountainous area with a regional coefficient of 1.8 and more than 30 years of experience currently amounts to 65,800 soms, and will increase to 97,600 soms from April 1,” he added.
As reported by 24.kg in the capital's education department, since 2010, a program called "Young Teacher Deposit" has been implemented to support and retain young specialists in the education system.
Every year, 100 young teachers are selected under this program, who receive additional financial support to their main income.
In December 2025, 49 participants in the program received payments totaling 4 million 465.1 thousand soms.
Additionally, the municipality actively collaborates with pedagogical universities, providing senior students with the opportunity to undergo internships and get employed in schools. Efforts to form and submit applications for training pedagogical staff in the most in-demand specialties are being carried out jointly with the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovations (MSHEI). Agreements on cooperation have been signed with higher educational institutions.
“The implementation of this set of measures contributes to retaining young teachers in the education system of Bishkek and gradually solving the problem of teacher shortages,” officials are confident.
Recently, a meeting was held at MSHEI to discuss a new model for training pedagogical staff. However, when asked by 24.kg what exactly it entails and when it will be implemented, the ministry did not respond.
