Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

Central Asia, search for symbols and ‘national ideologies’ took place throughout
the region in the 1990s.
For the states of Central Asia, but far less so for Mongolia, the challenge of affirming
a ‘de-Russified’ national identity was thus acute. Whilst the Uzbeks, Turks and
Tajiks were the dominant population in their respective countries, accounting
for 80 per cent of the total population, both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan hosted
a large number of ‘minorities’; in the former, ethnic Kyrgyz accounted for only 65
per cent of the population, while in the latter Kazakhs only crossed the majority
threshold in 1999 (Peyrouse, 2008, p. 1). As a result of Soviet ethnic engineering,
the Central Asian states shared a legacy of russification and sovietisation. The
1990s witnessed a tide of emigration of Russians and other ethnic minorities, but
The multi-ethnic
and multilingual
characteristics of the
Central Asian states
and the potentially
existential risk posed
by serious internal
conflict are reflected in
education policy and
practice in different
ways
the societies of the region still exhibit exceptional
ethnic diversity, with inter-ethnic tensions high
in societies such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Security and stability across the region depend
on the careful management of ethnic relations
(Azizov, 2017; Massansalvador, 2010). In contrast,
Mongolia is more ethnically homogeneous, with
a small Kazakh minority accounting for just 4
per cent of the population (Mongolia, 2011). The
Soviet (mostly Russian) presence pre-1991 was
largely transient rather than settled, consisting of
technical specialists and military personnel, who
left when the USSR collapsed. The multi-ethnic and
multilingual characteristics of the Central Asian
states and the potentially existential risk posed by serious internal conflict are
reflected in education policy and practice in different ways. These include the
introduction of bi-or tri-lingual education (see Appendix III) and publication of
textbooks in multiple languages.
International Influence on Education Reforms
Since the 1990s, most governments in Central Asia have adopted policy
reforms incorporating ‘international standards’ or ‘Western’ education values
such as student-centred learning, standardisation of student assessment,
introduction of curriculum standards and diversification of educational provision
(Shagdar, 2006; Silova, 2009a). Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia actively
experimented with a range of imported education policies, mostly linked to
funding from international donor organisations. 80 Curriculum reforms focused on
reducing the number of subjects, introducing integrated curricula, or reducing
curricular content to promote ‘efficient’ learning and heighten emphasis on
80 In addition to international aid from the Western donors, there has also been aid provided
through the modality of South-South cooperation or ‘policy borrowing’ from close
neighbours such as Turkey and Russia.
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Chapter 6: Central Asia and Mongolia