Osh: Will Back to School Bring On More Trouble?

A boy walks in front of a tent provided by UNHCR through the Osh neighborhood of Cheremushki, the predominately ethnic Uzbek neighborhood that saw some of the heaviest fighting in June's ethnic conflict in the city. As the new school year starts in Kyrgyzstan, education experts worry the violence could flare in so-called “mixed schools,” where children of both Uzbek and Kyrgyz families study. (Photo: David Trilling)

The start of the school year on September 1 is heaping an extra layer of apprehension on an already distressed situation in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Gulmira Kamilova, a doctor from Osh, is keeping her fourth-grade daughter home on September 1, the day when children throughout the former Soviet Union traditionally start the academic year. “We are just too scared to send her to school after these terrible events. We haven’t even returned back home yet,” said Kamilova, an ethnic Uzbek who is staying with relatives. She says she is fearful of returning to her predominantly Kyrgyz neighborhood. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

The specter of June’s ethnic violence hangs over nearly every facet of life in southern Kyrgyzstan. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

Education experts are especially worried that violence could flare in so-called “mixed schools,” where children from both Uzbek and Kyrgyz families study.

There are approximately 1,000 schools across southern Kyrgyzstan’s Jalal-abad and Osh provinces, one-third of which are mixed, experts estimate.

“Violence in schools, in particular bullying and gang activity, was a problem before the June events. This could intensify as children and teens who have witnessed, or perhaps participated in, the June violence return to school,” said Katherine Lapham, Senior Program Manager for the Open Society Institute’s Education Support Program. [Editor’s Note: the Education Support Program is part of the Soros Foundations Network. EurasiaNet.org operates under the auspices of the New York-based Open Society Institute, which is also part of the Soros network].

Keneshbek Sainazarov, the director of the US-government sponsored Quality Learning Project, believes there is a “high possibility” that violence could occur in mixed schools. On September 1, “kids will bring [to school] cell phones with photos and videos of the [June] violence,” said Sainazarov, who in recent weeks has focused on fostering inter-ethnic dialogue. “The challenge is to talk with the kids so they don’t want to bring [violent images] into the classroom.”

Authorities are attempting to strengthen security at primary and secondary schools. Osh education officials, for instance, have asked the central government in Bishkek to provide hundreds of security guards for city schools, local media reported. But experts say extra guards will not be enough  -- that community participation and “buy-in” is more important.

“You can put security forces in schools, but if the community doesn’t participate, it won’t help. Community members and parents must be involved in the decision-making. It is an emotional and psychological process,” said Sainazarov. “At the moment, government officials are talking about putting four police officers in every school in Osh, and about 10 university students in the school yard. … The problem is they [police and yard monitors] will all come from different communities” and thus not be trusted.

Though there has not been an outburst of violence recently, many believe it is merely the holy month of Ramadan that is keeping the peace. Ramadan ends at approximately the same time as campaign season begins, on September 10, for parliamentary elections in October. Local observers say many parents will likely keep their children home until the elections are over, fearing an outbreak of violence after Ramadan ends. In addition, rumors continue to circulate that various parties are arming themselves for more violence. [For background see EurasiaNet’s archive].

“Rumors have a great negative impact on the overall situation and mood of ordinary people. Now many people are talking about more violence after Ramadan is over, and people are concerned the authorities cannot keep the situation under control,” said Larisa Kuznetsova, the children’s projects coordinator for Blagodat (“Abundance”), a non-governmental organization based in Osh.

According to school officials, the number of schoolchildren in Osh and Jalal-abad provinces will significantly decrease. “Last year we admitted about 250 new schoolchildren for first-grade, and this year we have only 90 or 100 applications,” said an administrator of an Osh school who refused to give her name.

Coupled with fears that some teachers will not return to work, a drop in attendance has the potential to adversely affect the entire education system, Lapham cautioned. “I am concerned that parents will not feel that their children are safe in school and on the way to school, which will adversely affect attendance rates. I am also afraid that teachers may not return to school, which will force the Ministry of Education and local authorities to substitute students from teacher's colleges and untrained teachers to fill the gaps. This could result in decreased quality of education, if untrained or inexperienced teachers do not have appropriate support,” said Lapham.

Even local officials admit to being nervous. “We are afraid to send our son to his school because to get there, he goes through an Uzbek neighborhood,” said Bermet, a Kyrgyz mother and Osh government official who asked her surname not be printed.