RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SYSTEM AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS OF KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan gained its independence in 1991. The Constitution adopted in 1992 became a basis for the restructuring process in the religious sphere. According to the relevant articles of the Constitution, the issues relating to the place and purpose of formal and non-formal religious education in general education, the formation of religious groups, their relations with the state, etc., have been discussed. The subject of this article is the changes and transformations in religious education in schools after independence. In this context, first of all, information about the general education system and religious education of Kyrgyzstan will be given. Then, the legal and historical basis of religious education at schools since 1991, its status in the school system, its aims, teaching model, teachers, regional variations, etc., will be reviewed and evaluated. In the conclusion part, current developments and challenges will be discussed. The aim of the article is to evaluate whether religious education in the school system in Kyrgyzstan is structured on national and universal principles and to open the issue for discussion. The study is important in terms of drawing a future perspective on how religious education should be at the universal level in the school system and contributing to comparative religious education.

Keyword: compulsory religious education; Kyrgyzstan; religious culture; religious education; voluntarily religious course