BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan has developed a provision on religious education to better implement the state policy on religion for 2014-2020, 24.kg reported Thursday (May 2).
The potential for extremists to propagandise youths and children by misusing religious education is a concern in Kyrgyzstan.
"The regulation was developed by the State Commission for Religious Affairs [GKDR]," Gulnaz Isayeva, a representative of the Geneva-based NGO Bulan Institute, told 24.kg.
"The planning document for state policy toward religion is being implemented very poorly," she said, referring to the government's plan for 2014-2020. "We adopted this regulation to improve the situation."
"We will conduct outreach," she said. "For example, despite prohibitions, many madrassas teach children from a young age, although by law, religious institutions can enroll children only after the 9th grade. We point out the accountability of the madrassas for such violations in the regulation."
The regulation "includes the main aspects of religious education: the rights of citizens to religious knowledge" and "oversight and regulation of religious educational institutions", she said.
The GKDR and the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (DUMK) are expected to jointly implement the regulation.
