Money is budgeted. Obligations are someone else's.
The long-established connection between the health of students and teachers and the conditions within school buildings is evident. Yet, all school directors unanimously complain about the failure to meet the standards of the physical school environment and even the impossibility of finding specialized professionals. Parents, on the other hand, complain that schools do not fulfill their obligations to provide a healthy school environment.
Schools survive but cannot develop “It is hardly possible to expect quality education under the current learning conditions! There is no working ventilation in schools at all. The corridors and classrooms are dark, and in winter it is so cold that students have to study in outerwear! – protests Dmitry Votchel, chairman of the parent committee of one of the capital’s schools, – Who is responsible for this? The school administration refers to the mayor’s office. The mayor’s office refers to underfunding. And our children – the future of the country – become victims of this existing budgetary practice.” Throughout the 2013-14 academic year, the Eco Movement “BIOM” conducted an audit of learning conditions in schools across Kyrgyzstan. Their focus was on lighting, ventilation, and thermal insulation in school buildings. In the end, the initial state of domestic educational institutions turned out to be very sad!
Failing to meet standards Most school buildings were constructed in the last century and are characterized by thermal, lighting, and noise discomfort. “The air in the premises is polluted with CO2 beyond measure – 1500-3000 ppm and higher! The equipment of the ventilation system installed back in Soviet times is not functioning: diffusers are damaged or out of order, ventilation shafts are clogged, fans are not working, and air distribution grilles have long required cleaning. There is no passport or technical data for any of the ventilation system’s engines. By the way, project documentation for the ventilation system is absent in all schools,” says coordinator Natalia Bogatova. “In the surveyed schools, most light fixtures have been in operation for over 20 years, and most classrooms do not meet the requirements of current standards for lighting at workstations and on blackboards. In the inspected classrooms, the lighting on the boards measures 130-140 lx at a norm of 500 lx, while the lighting on desks ranges from 50-100 to 250 lx at a norm of 300 lx,” says “BIOM” employee Mikhail Yakovlev. According to specialist Petr Lebedenko, the situation regarding thermal conditions in school premises is not better. Schools are cold every winter. Due to the wear and tear of school buildings, even the heat supplied to classrooms and other school premises escapes through numerous gaps in windows and doors.
Learning at the risk of health The Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic expresses concern about the deteriorating health conditions of students. “Over the past 15-20 years, general education schools in the city have increasingly become one of the main causes of chronic diseases in children and adolescents. An analysis of the dynamics of morbidity and the results of in-depth medical examinations among the child population in recent years has shown an increase in the incidence of blood and blood-forming organ diseases (by 8.75%), including anemia (by 5.72%) and endocrine system diseases (12.2%). As in previous years, respiratory diseases occupy a leading place in the disease structure. Among 967,943 examined children during in-depth medical examinations, 76,514 cases of somatic pathology among students were identified. 64,252 schoolchildren suffered from various cold diseases, accounting for 6.6%. Vision impairment was found in 12,583 children, postural problems in 17,434 children. There is a noticeable decline in children’s physical development indicators: up to 10 thousand children with signs of retardation are identified annually. According to the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, chronic diseases are diagnosed in 30% of schoolchildren,” says specialist Maria Koshubekova from the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance.
Problems remain unresolved Once a flourishing Kyrgyzstan with a powerful education system and school and preschool infrastructure has turned into a state incapable of providing even a sufficient number of educational places: today children are forced to study in three shifts! This means that the overcrowding in Kyrgyz schools is catastrophic! According to expert Nina Vashneva, all schools in the city are overcrowded by 1.5 to 3.6 times, especially in central districts. First grades in gymnasiums of Bishkek are most overloaded: schools No. 6, 9, 12, 17, 23, 26, 31, 37, 38, 61, 64, 65, 67, 70, as well as in general education schools No. 42, 43, 56, 73, 78, 82, 83, 84. At the same time, in many city schools, the ventilation installed back in Soviet times has deteriorated, and the issue of equipping a new supply and exhaust ventilation system or installing air conditioners has not been resolved. Meanwhile, even the few new schools in the city’s new buildings that are commissioned do not have adequate supply and exhaust ventilation equipment. Additionally, inspection reports on the sanitary condition of Bishkek schools No. 76, 10, 14, and 28 revealed an emergency condition of the buildings. Heating and sewage systems are worn out and rotting. Doors and window frames are old and worn out. The roofs are broken and leaking in places, and there are no drip edges, causing plaster to flake off inside and outside the building. “In some places, the roofs leak in middle schools No. 1, 14, 16, 34, 56, 64, 66, 69, 71, 75, 78, 77, 68. In schools No. 21 in the EneSai microdistrict, No. 91 in the Kara-Jyjach microdistrict, and No. 92 in the Ruhiy-Muras microdistrict of Bishkek, there are significant shortcomings in ensuring the standard lighting of classrooms,” notes Vashneva.
Who should fulfill school commitments? Information regarding the current situation in schools and preschool institutions has been sent by the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic (dated 27.02.14 No. 01-1/3-1699), as well as to the leaders of regional, district, and city state administrations, local self-government bodies, including all heads of preschool and general educational organizations regardless of ownership forms (dated 12.03.14 No. 04-4-364). One of the key areas in reforming the national education system, besides improving teaching methodologies, is to create a tolerant and multicultural educational environment and a safe physical environment in every school. “However, no measures have been taken by the mentioned structures to improve the situation, and no initiatives for joint work to prevent further deterioration of health indicators for children and adolescents have been received,” says Maria Koshubekova. “The specialists of the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance consider it appropriate to discuss this issue collegially at the level of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, as these problems should be under control according to the overall education policy.” Schools are currently in a very vulnerable position: there are certain standards that are legally required to be met regardless of the financial capabilities of the city budget.
In fact, everything is the opposite New schools and preschool institutions in the city are almost not being built, even though due to internal migration, the city’s population is rapidly growing. According to Vice Mayor Aigul Ryskulova, kindergartens in Bishkek are overstaffed by two times, and schools by 1.5 times. The problem of overcrowding necessitates a significant increase in places in kindergartens and schools. This means that it is essential to plan the construction of 16 schools and 30 kindergartens today. This especially applies to new buildings. This requires substantial financial resources, but there is a catastrophic lack of funds, even for capital and current repairs. “Emergency sections of heating, sewage, and roofing systems are more frequently addressed,” says Almagul Nurbekova, a teacher at school No. 66 in Bishkek. According to the mayor’s office, over the past three years, 103 million som has been allocated from the city budget for capital repairs of educational institutions, which is extremely low. For current repairs of educational organizations, 110.8 million som has been allocated from various funding sources in three years. “The entire education system relies on the local budget,” says Mayor Kulmatov. “That is, Bishkek fulfills the obligations of the state to the population, and the city mayor’s office acts as an ordinary postman. Until powers are delineated, the local budget will suffer from a lack of funds.”
Different budgets, but educational institutions are state-owned Article 37 of the Law on the Basic Principles of Budgetary Law states that funding for educational institutions is divided: state educational institutions are funded from the republican budget, while municipal ones are funded from the local budget. However, until now, there is no confirmation of the legal status of educational institutions in Bishkek. It is necessary to clarify the legislation in the field of education, and only then begin to delineate powers. This process requires parliamentary consideration. 117 urban educational institutions position themselves as municipal. According to expert A. Chekirov, there is no evidence of this in the documentation regarding their registration. In addition, the Education Law does not distinguish between “state school” or “municipal school”; it merely includes the term and mentions funding “from the state budget.” From local? Or from republican? It depends on the status, which is not defined. If repairing schools and kindergartens is sourced from the local budget, then by definition, they are all municipal. But then we must acknowledge the absence of state programs in the field of education, as they all transition to the municipal level?! Meanwhile, the key issues remain the efficiency of spending for education, the dependency of the city budget on the decisions of state bodies, and consequently, the deteriorating state of school infrastructure.
Parents come to the rescue The law establishes that education in the Kyrgyz Republic is free. However, in reality, last academic year, parents invested an amount almost equal to the financial contribution from the city budget: 21 million som – parent contributions and 23 million som – budgetary funding. These figures were announced by Gulnara Tagaeva, head of the education department of the Bishkek mayor’s office. “There are 77 public associations and funds operating in the capital’s schools and kindergartens in the form of so-called voluntary contributions; teachers do not collect money from parents themselves. This is done by parent committees and boards of trustees. However, these contributions have long become compulsory,” says Tagaeva. “The ‘free’ education is becoming ‘more expensive’ from the first grade,” says Dmitry Peshkov, father of a student from gymnasium No. 70, “they ask for everything – from decorating classrooms to renovating the entire school. And when you don’t pay the next installment, the teachers reprimand your child.” “Honestly, they should tell us how much it costs to educate our children in schools. Why deceive people? – says parent Meerim Ryskulova, – For if education is guaranteed for free by the Constitution, then our taxes should reflect this by reducing school fees. Otherwise, all parents end up paying taxes twice!”
State of disappointment Parents, students, teachers, and city hall employees are dissatisfied with the school education system in the capital. The specialists from the Eco-District “BIOM” provided examples of what the standard learning environment should be, equipping classrooms in pilot schools with modern light fixtures and installing energy-saving plastic windows there. Donors have helped again. School directors continue to submit requests to all instances for even a small grant. However, in general, city schools are not developing. But ultimately, every goal is achievable. Renovating schools and kindergartens is not just about installing new windows or replacing old light fixtures; it is a matter of proper budget allocation. This year, 32% of the city budget has been allocated for education, but the state agency responsible for spending is the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. Experts believe that it is necessary to begin the phased transition of school education financing to the republican level and fulfill the requirements of the Law “On Delegated Powers” with financial support for school education through transfers. Text and photo: Irina Bayramukova
