U.S. in Kyrgyzstan (non-military)

Pardon some wonkiness below. This entry is more about my thoughts on things I observed than on my trip itself.

Although Karakol is off the beaten path for U.S. tourists, there's more of a U.S. presence here than one might expect. First, there are five Peace Corps volunteers here. One works as a teacher-trainer at the local university. One works with the local branch of Community Based Tourism, a national organization that seeks to develop local tourism entrepenuership, and organize tourists' use of these small companies. Another works with the Red Crescent, which is the same as the Red Cross; they run a house for orphans and abused children in Karakol. The fourth works with a local organization called “American Corner.” It is funded by the U.S. State Department, and has a library, computers and internet available for free use, as well as offering free English classes and a variety of other programs. The remaining volunteer works in public health, particularly AIDS education. There are also other volunteers who come to the area for short- and medium-term projects. Several locals asked me, “Are you a volunteer?” when they first figured out I was not an ethnic Russian.

In addition to the Peace Corps brigade, there are a variety of projects in the town that are U.S. funded to some extent, such as the above-mentioned American Corner. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded a recently completed professional development project in one of the local schools for three years. The International Research and Exchange Board (IREX), which operates the program I am on, runs at least two different local programs in Karakol. One, which is at several of the schools, is called Global Communication Exchange (GCE), and connects groups of kids here with peers in U.S. schools to share information about their cultures and collaborate on projects. Another IREX program provides technology instruction for girls, and sends one or two of the most outstanding local girls each summer to the United States for a summer technology camp experience. Three or four kids each year also are selected for the FLEX program, which pays for students from Central Asian students to study for one year in the U.S. through the AFS exchange program. Most AFS students, like my family's exchange student Mauro, from Italy, have to pay to participate, but FLEX students do not, and they receive a small stipend for expenses. It is, however, an extremely competitive program.

The success of the development programs is a mixed bag. Many programs come with concrete materials such as computers (with GCE, for example) and textbooks. These are often greatly appreciated and valued locally. There are also, however, policies and instructional initiatives associated with these materials about which the Kyrgyz tend to be more ambivalent. One program encouraged an emphasis on formative assessment, but according to several local teachers “No one really explained to us what formative assessment means!” Many of the policies are rooted in disturbingly condescending and or naive notions about Kyrgyzstan's education system and culture. For example, one well-funded, multi-year project aimed to increase “parent and community involvement in schools” by trying to create a more U.S.-like model of school boards and site-based management. This aim may sound well-intentioned, but it is flawed on two levels. First, the vast majority of Kyrgyz parents and communities are already heavily involved in children's school experiences. Because that involvement doesn't take the shape of school boards or structures familiar to Western funding agencies, it is apparently dismissed. Although the Kyrgyz education system does find itself in a financial crisis, the Kyrgyz are rightfully proud of many aspects of their educational system, particularly its achievements during the Soviet era. Kyrgyz schools improved literacy rates in the country at a break-neck pace, and most communities and students were very enthusiastic about their schools during Soviet times. Although the funding that supported the system of the past is gone, and cracks in infrastructure and human capital are apparent, education is still a prized commodity in Kyrgyzstan, highly prioritized by parents. Parents with the means pay for supplemental classes for their children. In fact, most of the students I have met with have mentioned “extra classes,” often in English and computer skills, that they take several days a week. It seems that more development programs could do a better job of consider existing values, skills, priorities, and realities, instead of imposing foreign “solutions.”