Kyrgyzstan: Officials Strive to Curb Corruption in Education System

Nearly four years ago, Kurmanbek Bakiyev declared corruption Kyrgyzstan's "greatest evil." Within the country's higher education system, graft continues to flourish. To combat falling intellectual and professional standards, Kyrgyz are now focusing on a new standardized test that officials contend will help eradicate graft in universities.

Low teacher salaries and the long-standing practice of selling grades make that target a challenge. Many students simply purchase their degrees. "The universities here are corrupt and anyone can buy diplomas without even studying," Mirlan, a 23-year-old student lamented as he described his frustration with the low quality of education in Kyrgyzstan.

"I am studying English to get an education abroad," he continued.

Another student, requesting anonymity, told EurasiaNet that he pays 150 Kyrgyz soms (almost $4) per assignment, or 600 soms (about $15) per course at the International University of Kyrgyzstan's Polytechnic College. In exchange, the instructor allows him to pass without taking exams, or completing the assignments.

Even if he studies, another student complains, he would still have to pay a $400 bribe to the examining committee to be allowed to pass.

The situation is so bad that the former head of Bishkek's Anti-Corruption Agency, Erkaiym Mambetalieva, says she is afraid to go for a medical checkup. "I am reluctant to trust the recommendations of doctors when I think they get their diplomas through bribes," she told EurasiaNet.

"Only 5 to 10 percent of graduates can be regarded as qualified," she said.

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev recently outlined the need to fight educational corruption at an event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University in December.
"We managed to curb corruption on the higher level. We eradicated that wicked practice of officials appointing posts for certain prices," the 24.kg news agency quoted Bakiyev as saying. "However, corruption is still [prevalent] in the education, health care and law machinery systems."
The problems seem to run deep. Educators say they are forced into accepting bribes -- or gifts, as some see it -- from their students because of their low salaries. On average, according to the Vecherniy Bishkek daily, the official monthly salary of university teachers is between 1,800 and 3,800 soms (roughly $45-$95). "How can you take care of yourself and family for about 2,000 soms per month?" asked Jibek, a university professor in Bishkek. She thinks that teachers' low salaries prompt them to start looking for money from alternative sources.
"I accept gifts from my students for passing grades. I got 200 soms (about $5) just yesterday from one student," she confessed.

Now, many are pinning their hopes on reform at the Ministry of Education. The ministry plans to launch a standardized nationwide aptitude test to distribute university scholarships more equitably. Ministry officials believe the new exam for high school students will at least ensure they are prepared to move on to the next educational level. The Unified National Test (UNT), as it is known, may not root out corruption in the university admissions process -- where it is almost impossible to ensure acceptance without paying a bribe -- but it is intended to at least end graft in the competition for state scholarships.

Besides, administrators feel the current testing is not an effective tool to measure a high school graduate's academic abilities. Kanat Sadykov, head of the Vocational Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Science, says that high school students do not study hard enough since the current testing measures students' overall logical abilities and comprehensive reading skills, rather than specific subject knowledge.

"We have come up with a system that tests students' knowledge of school subjects rather than testing their logic and reading skills," he said of the UNT.

Critics have trouble believing that the new testing procedures will bring about substantive changes in the admissions process. Inna Valkova, director of the independent Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods, says the ministry is looking for an easy way out. "You cannot test students' knowledge of school subjects as well as test their potential abilities to succeed in higher education institutions with one examination," she said

The challenges facing reform in the Kyrgyz educational sector are widespread, but many feel government recognition of the problem is at least a positive start.