Saudi Development Fund Backs School Projects in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz Deputy Minister of Construction Talant Imanakun uulu has said that the Saudi Development Fund will support the construction of 14 new schools in Bishkek.

The deputy minister made these remarks during a session of the Jogorku Kenesh, The Caspian Post reports via Kyrgyz media.

Imanakun uulu said that the first phase of the large-scale school construction program was completed on December 1, 2024. Under this phase, 28 schools and two kindergartens were built across Kyrgyzstan, with 30 facilities already commissioned. The total cost of the first stage reached $30 million, financed through a 25-year loan from the Saudi Development Fund at an interest rate of 1 percent.

The second phase will be backed by an additional $50 million loan from the same fund, provided for 25 years at 1.5 percent interest. This stage focuses on Bishkek, where rapid population growth-now approaching 1.5 million residents-has created an acute shortage of school places.

Imanakun uulu highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that 35 schools in Bishkek’s Sverdlovsky district, originally designed for 29,732 students, are currently accommodating 66,747 pupils.

For comparison, neighboring Kazakhstan built 141 new-format schools in 2025, reflecting a broader regional push to modernize education systems.