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<h2>A new nationwide campaign of Kyrgyz-language studies has started, designed to foster integration and promote diversity. </h2>
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<p>By Bakyt Ibraimov</p>
<p>2014-09-04</p>
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<p>BISHKEK – Kyrgyzstan is pushing to have its entire population learn Kyrgyz. </p>
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<a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/shared/images/2014/09/04/kglanguage.jpg" rel="jdbox" title="Civil society activists in Osh in July discuss prospects for spreading the use of Kyrgyz nationwide. One topic of discussion was the establishment of Kyrgyz-language websites. [Bakyt Ibraimov]">
<img src="http://centralasiaonline.com/shared/images/2014/09/04/kglanguage.jpg" alt="Civil society activists in Osh in July discuss prospects for spreading the use of Kyrgyz nationwide. One topic of discussion was the establishment of Kyrgyz-language websites. [Bakyt Ibraimov]">
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<p>Civil society activists in Osh in July discuss prospects for
spreading the use of Kyrgyz nationwide. One topic of discussion was the
establishment of Kyrgyz-language websites. [Bakyt Ibraimov]</p>
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<h3>Related Articles</h3>
<ul class=""><li><a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/main/2013/07/25/feature-01">Kyrgyzstan aims to strengthen knowledge of Kyrgyz</a></li><li><a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/main/2011/10/26/feature-01">Russian language still important in Central Asia</a></li><li><a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/politics/2010/01/11/feature-01">Russian language increases in popularity in southern Kyrgyzstan</a></li></ul>
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<p>The government will carry out a two-year programme in partnership
with UNICEF as part of a comprehensive effort to spread Kyrgyz fluency
nationwide. The partnership starts this month, with various national
programmes scheduled to end in 2017. </p>
<p>"Out of 500m KGS [about US $10m] allocated for the [comprehensive]
programme, nearly half [240m KGS (US $4.5m)] is to be spent on book
publishing; the rest will go to finance the establishment of [language]
study centres and websites," Almazbek Kulmatov, deputy chairman of the
National Commission on State Language Development, said August 19. </p>
<p>In Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz is the "state language" while Russian is the
"official language." Knowledge of Russian has dwindled in the
countryside and among younger Kyrgyz but remains strong in the cities. </p>
<p>"City dwellers in Kyrgyzstan generally have a poor knowledge of
Kyrgyz," Ziynagul Mederbekova, a teacher of Kyrgyz at Public School No.
78 in Bishkek, said. "That's because the kindergartens are
Russian-speaking and parents don't speak Kyrgyz to their children
because they have a poor command of the language themselves." </p>
<p>Less than two-thirds of residents are <a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/main/2013/07/25/feature-01">fluent in Kyrgyz</a>, according to the government. </p>
<p>Authorities have expressed concern about that situation's implications for national unity. </p>
<p>"Today, we must create the conditions for studying Kyrgyz and for
using it full scale in all areas of public life," Kulmatov said. "Kyrgyz
should play an integrating role among the people ... and in national
ideology and inter-ethnic relations." </p>
<h2>A national effort needed</h2>
<p>The government should promote the language policy at a national
level, teachers and civic leaders say, calling for assistance to those
who have poor or no knowledge of Kyrgyz at all. </p>
<p>"The new campaign not only will help develop [knowledge of Kyrgyz] –
it will improve the overall level of education and contribute to greater
inter-ethnic harmony," Mederbekova said. "For the more than 80
ethnicities living in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz might become a unifying
factor." </p>
<p>Bishkek resident Igor Savelyev, 37, an ethnic Russian, said he would take advantage of the programme to learn Kyrgyz. </p>
<p>"It's normal to speak the language of the country you live in," he
told Central Asia Online. "I couldn't learn Kyrgyz before because there
were no free courses available. I need to speak Kyrgyz not only because
employers require me to, but also because I have to be able to
communicate with my clients coming from remote villages." </p>
<p>Currently, work is underway to develop training programmes for each
target audience, whether they be youth or adults, Kulmatov said, and
money will be allocated for books and other teaching aids. </p>
<p>"Also, schoolteachers will be trained to teach language classes [free
for the students] in schools and universities in Jalal-Abad, Osh,
Karakol and other cities and district capitals throughout Kyrgyzstan,"
he said. </p>
<h2>Older generation needs more help </h2>
<p>Such policies need to become permanent if Kyrgyz-fluency promotion is ever to succeed, specialists say. </p>
<p>"We are leading a large-scale effort in cities across Osh Oblast to
teach Kyrgyz to oblast and local government officials so that they run
their offices in Kyrgyz," Almagul Tilekmanova, an employee of the
National Foundation for State Language Development, told Central Asia
Online. "Also, we provide language courses for prosecutors and court and
law enforcement personnel." </p>
<p>"In addition to seminars, we organise cultural and scholarly events
dedicated to the Kyrgyz language," she added. "Now the country's
universities are welcome to join in to make Kyrgyz the language of
education and scholarship." <br></p><p><a href="http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/main/2014/09/04/feature-01">http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/main/2014/09/04/feature-01</a><br></p><p><br></p>
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