Postcard from Bishkek

Yesterday was International Students’ Day and I wrote a postcard about people taking a “year out” – a Gap Year.

A few weeks ago one of the local newspapers, (Slovo Kyrgyzstan – the Word of Kyrgyzstan), ran an interesting article based on a couple of interviews with foreign students studying at Kyrgyzstan Universities; one from Korea and the other from Syria.

As I read the article, I was reminded of a student from South America; the son of a former client who had been inspired by his father’s descriptions of the country that had entranced him during his visit and who had decided to enroll at a prestigious Kyrgyz University.  The family made their own arrangements and we were asked to “keep a watching brief” over him – to be a available at the end the telephone if needed.

Many of his experiences reflected and reinforced some of the points in the article.

After a brief introductory paragraph, the article opened with a statistic: that there are almost 8000 foreign students, (from China, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan Turkey … “and other countries”), studying at Higher Education institutions here in Kyrgyzstan at the present.

The main reason they choose Kyrgyzstan, according to the author: “the affordable price”.

Even though fees for “foreign students” are more expensive than those charged to local students, they are still cheap when compared to the cost of studying at home … and the article gave examples which the Kyrgyz fees were anything from less than half, to about fifth of the fees charged elsewhere, (depending on the specialty).

When I was a student, I once had a lecturer who was making a point made an interesting observation: “In the final analysis – it nearly always boils down to the bottom line.”  There certainly seems to be some justification for this.  I have had several conversations, with lecturers at universities and students, where the subject has cropped up – and they all say the same thing: cost.  However, they also highlight other issues: such as the fact that there may be difficulties in obtaining a University place in the home country.

Even so, it seems to me that there could be other reasons … choice of courses on offer; the facilities available and the teaching staff; family or other connections with the “host” city/country; … and so on.  After all, it’s no small matter uprooting and transplanting oneself in a strange community … far away from home where all is familiar, family and friends – from help and support systems.

Apparently, this can some present a problem.  “

One of the students interviewed in the article came to Bishkek on a pre-visit and found that she really liked the place: “”The people here are kind, open and friendly … the nature of Kyrgyzstan and the climate”, and that helped her to make her decision.  But … she still faces problems … officials and fellow students, landlords and local seem, at best, disinterested and – according to the other interviewee – sometimes worse.

The main problem identified, however, seems to have been language.  As the author of the article put it … if you can’t speak the language, then you are like someone who is “deaf and dumb”.  So, as is often the case abroad, many of the Universities offer preparatory language courses.  There are, however, a number of other complications:

• Kyrgyzstan has two languages – Russian and Kyrgyz … which to choose? …
• in some cases, (for example in a couple of the universities, or in Medicine), the language of teaching is English … in another, it is Turkish; .
• it is necessary to learn different forms of language … for everyday communication and the more specific, complex and specialized language required for studies,

All this adds stress factors to what is already a stressful situation.

Another problem highlighted in the article was the quality of education on offer; the standard of teaching  – perhaps the lecturers are not as familiar with the material which they are teaching, or the method of teaching being outdated and unfamiliar … and there is little or no way for the students to express their concerns.  On the other hand, the facilities – especially the technical equipment – may also be lacking or poor … less than they might meet in educational institutions at home.

A third major problem raised in the article was housing.  Some universities do have student hostels available, but many students understandably prefer the independence of finding themselves an apartment to rent – which, of course, tends to be more expensive, and foreign students often find that they are charged rents at premium rates.  The author suggested that it might be helpful if the University might help in the search for apartments by, for example, having a register of possible apartments that could be rented.

Other issues were raised, for example health care, but no details or discussion were provided …

 

Another topic which was briefly raised was why Kyrgyz Universities might be interested in recruiting foreign students.  The main reason is obviously back to the “bottom line” … Hey, a number of universities in the West also “live off” the fees raised from foreign students and it has become an integral feature of their finances such that they have to a certain extent come to depend on this income …  and that has long been the case – this even provided a plotline for one of the episodes of the veteran BBC TV comedy series, Yes Prime Minister.

There are other benefits or factors, however, which should be borne in mind.

Their presence helps to “build bridges” – they are “goodwill ambassadors” of their own communities to the people of Kyrgyzstan and when they return, they will be ambassadors for Kyrgyzstan, (and, of course, the educational institutions in which they study), creating and conveying an image of Kyrgyzstan once they return home – adding to the reputation of the country and the people …

As such, they not only represent a valuable financial resource … they represent an investment in the future.

 

It seems to me that the article didn’t mention two important issues that I think were worth attention: the bureaucracy involved and the accreditation of any final qualifications once the course is finished.

It is not easy obtaining a university place at the best of times – which provided an interesting subject for the film “How I got into College” … but the process of becoming a student in a foreign country can be a daunting experience.  In addition to the other common issues such as selecting an institution and course, submitting an application, being interviewed and then worrying about practical matters language, about where to live, health care and so on (as mentioned above) … there is always the question of the visa.

Even in Europe this is a thorny issue; in Britain recently a number of institutions have had their licenses to invite students from abroad revoked because of irregularities in the system.  In theory, the institution should help … after all, it is in their interests, but I have heard several stories of disinterested college officials … and delays in communication … all of which adds stress to an already stressful situation.

Then there is the question of the accreditation of the institution and the final qualification.  A number of students from Turkmenistan who were enrolled at a prestigious university here in Bishkek, were not allowed to board their plane at the start of the academic year … because, the government official explained, the institution was not on the list of approved institutions – even though some of the students were second and third year students returning to continue their studies having already completed at least one year here.

OK – that was Turkmenistan where the rules and regulations are particularly stringent … and rules and regulations do change from time to time …

But … what about the medical students from India who having gained their diploma who then have to take a supplementary national test before their qualification will be recognized?

OK – that was for students with a Medical diploma … and I can see the logic that requires a licensing authority before granting permission to continue as a Doctor to want to ensure the quality of the applicant and their knowledge and expertise – especially given the failure rate of students on such examinations.

But … what about the student attending one of Bishkek’s most prestigious universities who wanted to apply to continue her education in Europe, only to be told that not only was her diploma not recognized – neither was her University … in fact, only a couple of institutions in Kyrgyzstan were on the “approved list”.  She couldn’t believe what she was being told … as I said, hers was one of the most prestigious in the country.

To be fair, there is a lot of work being done to implement the Bologna Process … which should bring about mutual recognition – and some  institutions offer “dual certification” – Kyrgyz and say, American, Russian or Turkish.

Tags: Education