Kyrgyzstan

by Paul Bacsich for Re.ViCa

For entities in Kyrgyzstan see Category:Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan in a nutshell

Source : http://www.cia.gov

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, it is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east.

The ethnonym "Kyrgyz", after which the country is named, is thought to originally mean either "forty girls" or "forty tribes", presumably referring to the epic hero Manas who, as legend has it, unified forty tribes against the Khitans. The 40-ray sun on the flag of Kyrgyzstan symbolizes the forty tribes of Manas.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan education policy

Education in Kyrgyzstan is compulsory for nine years, between ages seven and 15. Following four years of primary and five years of lower secondary school, the system offers two years of upper secondary school, specialized secondary school, or vocational/technical school. In 2001 some 89 percent of the relevant age-group was enrolled in the compulsory program, but this figure has decreased in the early 2000s.

Schools in Kyrgyzstan

The majority of primary and secondary schools teach in Kyrgyz, but the language of instruction in the higher institutions is Russian. Budget cuts that have reduced teacher salaries and equipment availability are reflected disproportionately in reduced numbers of female students.

In 2003 some 4.5 percent of gross domestic product was spent on education. In 2004 the literacy rate in Kyrgyzstan was 98.7 percent.

Higher education

Universities in Kyrgyzstan

In 2005 some 49 institutions of higher learning were operating, most notably

1. Kyrgyz State University - http://www.ksucta.kg
2. Kyrgyz Technical University (formerly known as the Frunze Polytechnic Institute) - http://www.kstu.kg
3. Medical Institute, Osh State University - http://www.oshmed.com/
4. Kyrgyzstan Asian Medical Institute, Kyrgyzstan - http://www.ami.edu.kg
5. Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University - http://www.krsu.edu.kg

Virtual initiatives

Interesting Virtual Campus Initiatives

None.

Re.ViCa Case-study

None.

References

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For OER policies and projects in Kyrgyzstan see Kyrgyzstan/OER

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