HRC summary - Kyrgyzstan

Excerpts from the summary by the High Commissioner for Human Rights which deal with the right to education. (37 - 57)

37. Becket Fund for Religious Society BF noted a newly proposed Law on Religious Education and Educational Institutions, which would create new restrictions on institutions that provide religious education.

Right to Education

57. JS2 noted that school curricula and textbooks did not reflect the cultural diversity of society, and recommended the development of ethnic and religious tolerance by including the cultural diversity of Kyrgyzstan in educational programmes.(1)

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(1) Joint Submission by NGOs: “Youth human rights defense group” Public Foundation; “Kylym shamy” Human Rights Center; “Open position” Public Foundation; Media Representative Institute; “Coalition for democracy and civil society” Public Foundation; “Adilet” Legal Clinic; “Citizens against corruption” Public Foundation; Agency of Social technologies; NGO Network for Children; Center of Public Technologies; “Voice of Freedom” Public Foundation; Independent Human rights group; Association of Civil Society Support Centers; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

NGO Contributions - Kirghizistan

NGOs which have submitted a report:

• AI Amnesty International, London, United Kingdom;
• Becket Fund Becket Fund for Religious Society, Washington D. C., USA;
• ECLJ European Centre for Law and Justice, Strasbourg, France;
• FL Front Line, Dublin, Ireland;
• Forum 18 Forum 18 News Service;
• GIEACPC Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, London, United Kingdom;
• HRW Human Rights Watch, New York, USA;
• IRPP Institute on Religion and Public Policy, Washington D. C., USA;
• JC Jubilee Campaign, Surrey, United Kingdom;
• JS1 Joint submission by LGBT Organisation Labrys, Kyrgyzstan and Sexual Rights Initiative;
• JS2 Joint Submission by NGOs: “Youth human rights defense group” Public Foundation; “Kylym shamy” Human Rights Center; “Open position” Public Foundation; Media Representative Institute; “Coalition for democracy and civil society” Public Foundation; “Adilet” Legal Clinic; “Citizens against corruption” Public Foundation; Agency of Social technologies; NGO Network for Children; Center of Public Technologies; “Voice of Freedom” Public Foundation; Independent Human rights group; Association of Civil Society Support Centers; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan;
• JS3 Joint Submission by Human Rights Centre “Kylym Shamy,” Open Viewpoint Public Foundation, and Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society;
• JS4 Joint Submission by Golos Svobody, Spravedlivost, Advocacy Centre on Human Rights;
• JS5 Joint Submission by Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Public charitable Foundation “Brune,” Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, International Drug Policy Consortium, International Harm Reduction Association, New Zealand Drug Foundation, Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Brazilian Drug Policy Association “Psicotropicus”, Soros FoundationKyrgyzstan, Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group, and Viva Rio;
• WCADP World Coalition Against The Death Penalty, Chatillon, France.

Report submitted by Kyrgyzstan

Education is dealt with on several occasions (points 43, 61, 79, 80 81), yet there's no mention of Human Rights Education.

43. The Constitution provides for the responsibility of society as a whole for caring for families and children, and it specifies that responsibility for children and their education is the natural right and civil duty of parents and that the State must ensure the support, instruction and education of orphans and children whose parents have lost custody. Child labour is prohibited, as is forced labour for adult citizens, except in the event of war, in the context of addressing the consequences of natural disasters, epidemics and other unusual circumstances, and in cases of enforcement of a court sentence.

61. [...] promotion of gender equality, ensuring gender balance at all
decision-making levels, introducing a gender perspective in the socio-economic sphere, focusing on gender aspects of health and health care, promoting gender equality in education and culture, reducing gender violence and raising public awareness of issues of gender equality.

79. The Constitution provides that every Kyrgyz citizen has the right to education. General basic education is compulsory and free, and everyone has the right to education in State and municipal schools. The State establishes the conditions for all citizens to receive preschool and basic education and to learn the State language and two foreign languages. Every citizen may choose between schooling that is either free of charge or on a paying basis.

80. The Education Act, the Preschool Education Act and the Elementary Vocational Education Act define basic policy principles in the area of preschool education and child development and the legal, organizational and financial foundations of the country’s preschool educational system.

81. Budgetary expenditure for supporting and developing the educational system grew perceptibly over the period 2001–2008. Its share of GDP increased 1.5 times over that period and accounted for six per cent of GDP in 2008. Vocational education provides training for occupations in demand on the labour market. There are 110 educational
establishments, including 103 secondary schools, one college and six secondary schools in prisons. 

Read the report: http://www.upr-info.org/IMG/pdf/A_HRC_WG-6_8_KGZ_1.pdf