Photo: aki.kg
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree establishing two new ministries in place of the Ministry of Education and Science and the State Agency for Intellectual Property and Innovation. According to the president’s press service, the restructuring creates the Ministry of Enlightenment and the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation as independent agencies.
The Ministry of Enlightenment will oversee preschool, primary, basic, secondary, and initial vocational education. Meanwhile, the newly formed Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation will be responsible for scientific, technological, and innovation-related activities, higher education, and intellectual property policy.
The decree also transforms the National Attestation Commission under the President of Kyrgyzstan into the Higher Attestation Commission under the new Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation.
The reforms aim to create an integrated and results-oriented system of public administration in science and education, improve administrative efficiency, and expand opportunities for young researchers to participate in scientific and innovative work.
President Japarov has already appointed interim heads for the two new ministries. Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva will lead the Ministry of Enlightenment, while Baktiyar Orozov will serve as Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation. Both currently hold acting positions, and their appointments are subject to parliamentary approval.
As AKIpress notes, this model of dividing the education ministry is not without precedent. In 2018, Russia split its education ministry into two separate entities: the Ministry of Enlightenment and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Kazakhstan implemented a similar reform in 2022.
