Kyrgyzstan 2024

Key takeaways

Data suggests there is room to improve both access to and the appeal of VET in Kyrgyzstan. While learners can transition smoothly between educational levels, practical barriers persist in supporting them toward graduation. Dropout rates have risen recently, partly due to stricter attendance rules introduced to address earlier inconsistencies. Support measures like scholarships, dormitory accommodations, and the Skills Development Fund exist, but their impact remains limited. Since 2023, Kyrgyzstan’s performance in providing access to lifelong learning, particularly CVET and adult education, has declined relative to other countries’ advancements. Re-evaluating funding models and incentives could better prioritise learner progression and completion over financial stability.

VET policy and practice in Kyrgyzstan focus strongly on foundational skills and alignment with the country’s evolving economic needs. Initiatives such as the State School Education Standard ensure learners acquire problem-solving and literacy skills, supported by work-based learning (WBL) models tied to industry needs. However, programme updates are delayed by bureaucratic processes. Between 2023 and 2024, progress in adapting systems to market demands has been slower than international trends, leading to a relative decline in performance. Adult learners often prefer short, skill-specific courses, which may not equip them with the broader competencies valued internationally. Efforts to integrate green and digital skills are progressing but require further development to prepare learners fully for future challenges.

Governance and stakeholder involvement in Kyrgyzstan’s VET system have improved since 2023, particularly in dual training and WBL, where partnerships with employers and practical training opportunities have expanded. Despite this, the system remains heavily reliant on external funding, which affects the sustainability of these advancements. Progress in data-driven policymaking and quality assurance continues to be limited, leaving gaps in effective system management. Internationalisation in higher education is advancing, with tertiary VET providers adopting global practices and engaging in cooperative projects. However, disparities in human and financial resources contribute to uneven quality and availability of facilities across the VET system.

Access to learning

Monitoring in the area of access to and participation to learning helps countries assess the extent to which initial VET, continuing VET and other learning opportunities are accessible and attractive to all learners, regardless of their individual backgrounds or reasons for participating. The data also reflects how well learners can expect to progress through and graduate from these learning opportunities.

Lifelong learning outcomes: quality and relevance, excellence and innovation

Kyrgyzstan’s VET system faces challenges in accessibility and participation. Although initial VET (IVET) programmes are available to citizens aged 15 to 30, significant disparities persist, particularly by age. Many state-funded seats remain unfilled despite the allocation of 32,000 to 35,000 places annually. Participation is low even in high-demand trades. Enrolment in continuing VET (CVET) programmes is also a concern, with Kyrgyzstan’s performance in this area declining since 2023 as other countries have advanced. Between 2018 and 2021, overall VET enrolments dropped steadily from 34,400 to 28,600, with rural areas particularly affected despite strong demand.

Initiatives like the Skills Development Fund and professional development programmes show promise in promoting lifelong learning, but their impact remains limited. Legislative updates have improved transitions between education levels, allowing learners to navigate the system more easily. However, dropout rates have risen sharply, from 7.2% in 2021 to 11% in 2022, partly due to stricter attendance rules that have increased expulsion rates. Despite these challenges, Kyrgyzstan’s relative performance in enabling learners to access higher education and progress through the system has improved compared to 2023, largely due to slower progress in other countries.

Financial incentives within Kyrgyzstan’s VET system remain misaligned, often prioritising institutional funding stability over student outcomes. While support measures like scholarships, dormitories, and re-admission provisions aim to assist learners, some institutions retain or graduate students with insufficient academic performance to avoid funding losses. This brings the risk of producing underprepared graduates, which compromises both skill development and the credibility of VET programmes. Since 2023, these issues have become more apparent, prompting national authorities to acknowledge the need for reforms to better align institutional incentives with educational quality and learner success.

Reassessing support measures and the funding model could help address these challenges by focusing on genuine skill development and aligning the goals of VET providers with the needs of learners and employers. Ensuring that institutional incentives prioritise outcomes such as skill acquisition and graduation rates is critical to improving workforce readiness and the overall appeal of VET. Developments since 2023 highlight the importance of addressing financial dependencies that undermine the quality and effectiveness of Kyrgyzstan’s VET system.

Kyrgyzstan’s VET system faces challenges in accessibility and participation, as enrolment in both IVET and CVET remains low. Many state-funded seats remain unfilled, and participation has declined, particularly in rural areas. Despite initiatives like the Skills Development Fund, lifelong learning opportunities are still limited. Legislative updates have improved educational transitions, but dropout rates have risen sharply, partly because of stricter attendance rules. Financial incentives focus on ensuring institutional funding stability rather than improving student outcomes, which has raised concerns about graduate preparedness. Authorities acknowledge the need for reforms to align funding more closely with educational quality and workforce needs. Reducing financial dependencies and strengthening skill development measures will be essential for improving the effectiveness and attractiveness of VET.

The Torino Process is a regular review of national systems of vocational education and training as well as adult education. It is designed to analyse the ways in which national VET systems (including adult education) address the challenges of human capital development in a lifelong learning perspective. It was established by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2010 and has been carried out in partner countries in Southeastern Europe, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean ever since.

Monitoring in the context of the Torino Process describes the extent to which countries deliver on their commitments to learners in support of their learning through life (lifelong learning - LLL) in three major areas of policy and system performance: access to learning, quality of learning, and system organisation.

Quality of learning

Quality and relevance of learning is the area of monitoring that identifies how successfully the VET system provides basic skills and key competences to both young and adult learners. It highlights the relevance of VET programmes to the world of work and how effectively VET graduates transition into the labour market. Additionally, it monitors efforts to promote excellence across key domains, including pedagogy, professional development, programme content, governance, and social inclusion, as well as the openness of the VET system to innovation in response to the evolving needs of learners and labour markets.

Lifelong learning outcomes: quality and relevance, excellence and innovation

VET in Kyrgyzstan performs well in providing foundational skills aligned with economic trends. The State School Education Standard ensures learners develop key competences such as problem-solving, ICT, and environmental awareness. Work-based learning (WBL) strengthens these connections through practical, hands-on training embedded in VET programmes. However, since 2023, Kyrgyzstan’s relative performance in adapting education systems to market demands has declined as other countries have become more agile. Despite this, foundational skills for youth remain a strong area, with Kyrgyzstan performing well above the international average.

The employability of VET graduates in Kyrgyzstan remains moderate, reflecting a mismatch between the skills learners acquire and labour market needs. Revisions to IVET and CVET content, including competence-based modular programmes and new topics like media literacy, are ongoing but progress is slow. Adult learners favour short-term, practical courses that meet immediate labour market demands but limit broader skill development. Updates to curricula, including the introduction of new trades and green and digital skills, are delayed by bureaucratic approval processes that can take over a year. Reforms introduced in 2023 to increase institutional autonomy have yet to yield substantial improvements.

Efforts to incorporate green and digital skills into VET programmes are ongoing. Green transition themes are better integrated than in many other countries, with initiatives like industrial ecology courses and the annual "Plant your tree" campaign. Kyrgyzstan’s performance in digital skills is slightly above the international average in 2024, although progress remains moderate. Innovations such as dual training and curriculum flexibility show potential but often rely on donor-funded projects, limiting their scalability. Since 2023, Kyrgyzstan has made progress in bridging education with the labour market through WBL initiatives and expanding dual training. However, challenges remain in aligning these programmes with industry expectations.

VET in Kyrgyzstan promotes excellence in teaching quality and programme delivery, but progress is uneven. Inconsistent integration of green and digital skills highlights the need for better alignment with evolving market demands. While reforms have reduced government-mandated curriculum content, the overall responsiveness of the system to labour market needs remains limited. Strengthening institutional incentives, improving accreditation frameworks, and accelerating curriculum updates could address these issues and enhance the relevance of VET.

VET in Kyrgyzstan continues to deliver strong foundational skills, supported by effective WBL and efforts to integrate green and digital transitions. However, relative declines since 2023 reveal challenges in adapting to market demands and improving employability. The preference of adult learners for short-term courses and delays in curriculum updates constrain broader skill development. Innovation initiatives show promise, but greater system-wide integration is necessary to ensure sustainable progress. Addressing bureaucratic obstacles and aligning programmes with industry needs will be essential for improving the relevance and impact of VET.

System organisation

System organisation is the area of monitoring that captures performance across various domains of management and administration. It examines whether practitioners and leaders have access to data and evidence to support informed decision-making, the level of stakeholder involvement in VET governance, the quality and capacity of staff in leadership positions, and the degree of internationalisation. Additionally, monitoring the allocation of human and financial resources to the VET system helps assess whether these resources effectively support teaching, training, and learning.

System organisation: management and resourcing

Vet in Kyrgyzstan benefits from strong stakeholder involvement and various governance initiatives, with dual training and work-based learning (WBL) standing out as key contributors to system performance. These initiatives, supported by employer associations, have contributed to a robust score in participatory governance, well above the international average in 2024. However, the heavy reliance of VET on donor funding raises concerns about long-term sustainability. Despite some progress in accountability and quality assurance, Kyrgyzstan lags behind other countries in data availability for informed policymaking. This gap has widened since 2023, as international efforts to improve data availability have outpaced those in Kyrgyzstan.

Progress in developing educational standards has been slow and heavily reliant on pilot projects in key sectors such as construction, agriculture, and energy. This limited scope highlights gaps in aligning VET with broader labour market needs. Gains have been made in aligning programme content with industry expectations through employer engagement. The quality assurance system has improved slightly in 2024, moving closer to the international average, but it remains constrained by dependence on donor projects and the slow development of a unified quality framework.

Leadership capacity varies significantly across VET levels. Higher vocational education institutions benefit from greater autonomy and financial independence, enabling them to implement innovative reforms and engage in international collaborations. For instance, HVE institutions increasingly sustain themselves through training contracts. In contrast, IVET providers are predominantly state funded, with limited flexibility to respond to changing labour market needs. Although reforms now allow IVET institutions to admit fee-paying students, they remain less equipped to meet industry demands.

Internationalisation efforts have advanced, particularly in higher VET, where Kyrgyz universities actively participate in global partnerships through programmes like Erasmus Mundus. While IVET institutions are less involved internationally, they have started participating in initiatives such as the Digital Skills Competition in Bishkek. These efforts reflect a growing emphasis on incorporating international standards, although resource constraints and varying leadership capacities limit broader participation across the VET system. Since 2023, Kyrgyzstan’s relative performance in the domain of internationalisation has improved, driven by efforts to align curricula with global benchmarks and strengthen collaboration with international institutions.

Kyrgyzstan’s VET system has shown improvements in participatory governance and internationalisation since 2023, supported by strong stakeholder engagement and targeted reforms. However, challenges remain in data availability, sustainable funding, and leadership capacity. Higher vocational institutions demonstrate resilience through greater autonomy, while IVET providers continue to struggle with reliance on state funding and donor support. The slow development of educational standards and quality assurance frameworks underscores the need for systemic reforms to address resource constraints and better align VET programmes with labour market needs.

Promoting access and participation in opportunities for lifelong learning

Supporting quality and relevance of lifelong learning

Index of system performance

International comparability of performance results

In addition to messages about system performance, the Torino Process monitoring delivers information about the international comparability of results of each country, the extent to which these results may be susceptible to bias, and how self-critical a country is when it reports about its policy and system performance for external monitoring purposes. This is possible because the monitoring methodology foresees keeping accurate records about the availability, origin and type of evidence used to calculate the monitoring results for each country, including Kyrgyzstan.

The monitoring results of Kyrgyzstan carry a higher risk of bias compared to other countries in the Torino Process, as they rely more heavily on qualitative data. Despite this, the self-assessments provided by Kyrgyzstan in 2023 were broadly in line with those of other countries, indicating no significant inflation in the evaluation of performance. This suggests that even with a lower reliance on quantitative evidence, the assessments by authorities and stakeholders in Kyrgyzstan remain reasonably aligned with international trends.

While progress has been made in improving the reliability of monitoring data, particularly in aligning with international comparability standards, Kyrgyzstan continues to face challenges in this area. The country remains among the lowest performing in terms of data comparability within the Torino Process. These findings highlight the need to strengthen the evidence base for monitoring, ensuring that data quality supports accurate and internationally consistent assessments.