Digital Transformation in Education: Challenges and Strategies for the Teaching Profession in the Kyrgyz Republic

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Educating for inclusion beyond the pandemic: Digitalization, distance education and the teaching profession in Central Asia

Proposal

In the Kyrgyz Republic, the idea of education is being transformed away from its classical form of being at a school where the teacher is a transmitter of knowledge that only they possess and can pass on. Through digitalization and the adoption of digital technologies, the government aims to set the course for the wide-scale digital transformation of all spheres of life in the country. The potential for digital transformation was recognized even before the Covid-19 pandemic and is particularly significant for education.

Education in the Kyrgyz Republic has struggled to adapt to national and global challenges. Despite multiple efforts at reform, the education sector has failed to transform in ways that are seen positively by society. Families and teachers alike experience socio-economic difficulties that have become more evident during the pandemic. The status of the teaching profession has diminished, salaries are modest, and many teachers are overwhelmed or under equipped to successfully navigate the digital classroom that the government envisages.

In this presentation, the Vice Minister of Education and Science for the Kyrgyz Republic will discuss the prospects for digital transformation in education in light of the challenges to the teaching profession. In a digital educational environment, the teacher’s role would become more focused on the formation and development of the learner's personality and thinking, on their socialization in the digital educational environment in the process of active interaction, and on the cooperation of the teacher with the learners and their parents in creating new knowledge and applying new skills.

School closures due to COVID-19 in the Kyrgyz Republic have significantly accelerated the process of connecting schools to the Internet and stimulated the development of electronic educational resources which include multimedia portals, video lessons and e-learning platforms. However, there remains a wide gap in understanding that digital transformation does not simply involve the creation and use of digital resources, but the integration and skillful application of digital solutions in the organization of the educational process, in the pedagogical activity of teachers and in evaluation.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic is trying to openly build a dialogue with civil society, public and international organizations, and is making efforts and taking measures for the digital transformation in education in the Kyrgyz Republic. For example, the concept of "E-school" and "School for parents"has been developed and will be implemented from the 2022/23 academic year. A standard of ICT competence for teachers has been developed, which would require teachers to form digital skills to work in a digital educational environment. This has implications for the way that new teachers are trained and how the professional development system for existing teachers is reformed. As part of the presentation, the Vice Minister will also discuss plans to transform teacher professional development for the digital era, and in so doing, uncover the ways that digital transformation could also transform the status and role of teachers in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Author

• Ulanbek Mambetakunov, Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic