Kyrgyzstan Proposes Discounted Education to Those Who Have Served in the Army

A draft law has been submitted for public discussion in Kyrgyzstan that would give citizens who have completed military service the right to preferential admission to primary, secondary, and higher education institutions, and a 50% discount on tuition fees. The document is published on the Jogorku Kenesh website. The authors note that this project recognizes military personnel's contribution to national security, and facilitates their successful adaptation to civilian life. The bill emphasizes that the educational benefits will help former soldiers make up for the time they could have spent on their studies. In addition, the proposed measures are seen as an incentive for young people to enlist in the military, which, according to the authors, will increase the overall level of professionalism of soldiers. After completing their service, many soldiers struggle to integrate into civilian life. The tuition discount will help them gain the necessary skills for successful employment, which will, in turn, positively impact the qualifications of the country's workforce. Similar laws on educational benefits for veterans are in place in several countries. The U.S. has a "GI Bill" program that assists veterans in paying university tuition and job training. The Philippines also provides benefits for veterans, including health care. In the U.K., veterans can receive discounts on tuition fees at several universities, especially in specialized programs. Post-Soviet countries also have laws to provide educational benefits for those who have served in the military—for example, Russia's program discounts university tuition for veterans and military personnel. Kazakhstan also benefits military personnel through tuition discounts and other educational opportunities. Moldova continues to improve its education legislation, and certain changes include support for veterans and their access to educational resources.

Kazakhstan Proposes to Abolish Compulsory Military Conscription

In Kazakhstan, activists have led calls to abolish compulsory military service by publishing a petition on the epetition.kz platform directed to the Ministry of Defense. The petition has been provoked by recent tragic cases among servicemen, which, the document's authors say, revealed severe problems in the Kazakh army. The petition emphasizes that the main issues are hazing and non-statutory relations, which exert strong pressure on conscripts, causing psychological trauma and, in some cases, suicide. The authors are also concerned about soldiers' inadequate training. They believe modern challenges and technologies can be effectively countered only by professional soldiers, not temporarily conscripted ones. The authors cite weak medical and psychological supervision as one of the military's critical problems, as it does not help conscripts adapt to army conditions. They propose a switch to a thoroughly professional army, which they believe would improve training and reduce the number of tragic incidents. The petition will be open until October 4. To be considered by the government, a petition in Kazakhstan must garner at least 50,000 votes. In recent years, Kazakhstan has observed an alarming increase in suicides among soldiers. In 2022, President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev ordered an investigation to identify the causes of these incidents. Hazing and psychological pressure remains one of the key causes of these tragedies. Despite the measures taken, such incidents continue. Last month Kazakhstan was shocked by the death of a conscripted soldier in the Mangistau region. According to some reports, an officer shot the enlisted man in the face with a pistol.