«If you don’t know Kyrgyz, it will be very difficult to realize your potential here. You need to know global languages, but it is also mandatory to speak the state language. You are a citizen of Kyrgyzstan and must know Kyrgyz, while at the same time we are not discriminating against other languages,» she said.

The minister noted that the issue of improving Kyrgyz language proficiency is currently under discussion.

«Today I was on the radio, and listeners asked about fully switching primary school education to the state language. The public offers various options. We are discussing all proposals, analyzing their pros and cons, and only then making decisions,» Kendirbaeva said.

She recalled that earlier the capital’s education department suggested not dividing classes by language of instruction due to a shortage of teachers.

According to data from 2024, education in Kyrgyzstan is conducted in five languages: Kyrgyz, Russian, Uzbek, English, and Tajik.

At that time, 1,668 schools provided instruction in a single language:

Kyrgyz — 1,368 schools (57.6 percent)

In addition, there were 709 multilingual schools, including 548 with both Kyrgyz and Russian instruction.

The Ministry of Education has not yet updated these figures for 2026.