Kyrgyz Parliament Thumbs Up WB's IDA Kindergarten Agreement

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, September 22. The Parliament's committee on budget, economic, and fiscal policy has greenlit a draft of an agreement between Kyrgyzstan and the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) for a significant investment in early childhood education, Trend reports.

The agreement, detailed by Minister of Education Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva, allocates $6.36 million in additional funding for the "Education for the Future" project. The financing package consists of a $2 million grant, with the remaining $4.36 million provided as a highly preferential, interest-free loan repayable over 50 years.

According to Minister Kendirbaeva, the funds will be targeted at addressing the critical shortage of preschool facilities. The primary focus will be on renovating nine kindergartens that were previously misused and have since been returned to state ownership. These renovated buildings will be transformed into child development centers, strategically located in areas with high concentrations of children and a lack of available kindergartens. While the initiative has been approved, the final list of specific buildings for renovation is still pending official confirmation.

Earlier today, MP Dastan Bekeshev informed about Kyrgyzstan's plan to secure financing from IDA for the construction of kindergartens. He highlighted the importance of the matter, noting that more than half of Kyrgyzstan's children currently lack access to preschool education.

As of mid-2025, Kyrgyzstan had 1,997 kindergartens, an increase of 85 in the last year, attributed to the establishment of over a thousand new groups that generated over 25,000 additional slots. Alongside the full-day kindergartens, 560 short-term kindergartens have also been established.

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