In 2010, inter-ethnic violence erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, who represent the largest ethnic minority. Although there is no longer overt violence, Uzbek minorities continue to suffer from harassment and discrimination. This has resulted in Uzbeks being deprived both job and educational opportunities.
Chronic ethnic tensions have created a situation where Uzbeks have been discouraged from seeking secondary and higher education for their children. Several factors contribute to this trend. Many Uzbek households struggle financially and need their children to help by working and learning a trade. Others see no point in having their children spend valuable time and energy on education when it does little to improve their job prospects.
According to Kutman Kamchiyev, the head of the Osh city Education Department, it is difficult to keep Uzbek children in school. He said “by law, we have nine years of compulsory education, and training at school for 10th and 11th graders is voluntary, therefore we have no right to tell parents what to do.”
Uzbeks account for approximately 15% of the population in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the greatest concentrations being located in southern and western regions of the country. As a persecuted ethnic minority, Uzbeks have been denied many social, political, legal, and economic rights and privileges. One particularly contentious issue has been the Kyrgyz government’s failure to officially recognize the Uzbek language, even in areas where Uzbeks make up a large portion of the population. This discrimination has resulted in limited funding and resources for Uzbek-language schools.
“A human should be educated in his or her native language, and then in other languages. Every year the number of Uzbek schools is decreasing. Today, constitutional norms in relation to the Uzbek minority are not respected…Ethnic Uzbek parents are outraged,” said Izatilla Rahmatillaev, head of the non-profit organization Law & Order.
Uzbeks feel that their children are at a disadvantage in Uzbek-language schools because of the preference given to Kyrgyz and Russian languages in both education and employment. As a result, enrollment in Uzbek schools has dropped 60% since 2002. While there were 141 Uzbek schools in 2002, by 2012 there were only 91 continuing to offer instruction in the Uzbek language.
Abdimitalip Satybaldiyev, head of Osh’s Ata-Meken Party, stated “if parents want to have a good future for their children, they must take their children from Uzbek schools so that they can get educated in Kyrgyz or Russian.”
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