Teacher: Money Collection Continues at School No. 24 Despite Criminal Case

A history teacher at Bishkek's School No. 24 has raised concerns about alleged illegal money collection from parents, even as a criminal investigation into the matter is underway. Jamilya Kolbaeva stated that despite the ongoing probe by the prosecutor's office, the school administration continues to solicit funds from parents.

Kolbaeva claims the administration justifies the collections by stating that the 350,000 som allocated from the budget for repairs is insufficient to prepare the institution for the new academic year. To support her claims, she provided screenshots of parent chats in a messenger application. These messages discuss fundraising for classroom renovations and the subsequent process of submitting requests for the return of previously collected money.

One exchange indicates that parents from two classes contributed to roof repairs, with similar collections occurring in several other classes. Another message informs parents about the necessity of filing applications for fund reimbursement. The author of this message suggested that with approximately 85 classes in the school, each parent committee should prepare a separate application.

The teacher urged an investigation into the use of state funds allocated for school repairs and a legal assessment of the administration's actions. The prosecutor's office in Bishkek initiated a criminal case in June concerning the illegal collection of funds, reportedly totaling 1,131,450 som, with a portion of the money allegedly kept by a staff member. The Minister of Education, Dogdurgul Kendirbaeva, has previously affirmed that collecting money from parents for school repairs is forbidden, noting that 404 million som have been allocated from the national budget for educational institution repairs this year.