A Decade of Healthy Choices: How Kyrgyzstan is Nurturing a Generation Committed to a Healthy Lifestyle

Ten years ago, an initiative whose significance is hard to overstate was launched in Kyrgyzstan. In 2014, when the school-based educational program for promoting healthy lifestyles was just emerging, Kyrgyzstan, like many other countries, faced several pressing issues related to the health and social well-being of adolescents. The lack of reliable information about the dangers of harmful habits, HIV/AIDS, and the challenges young people encountered when discussing sensitive topics such as reproductive health and psychological well-being with adults all contributed to an environment that fostered risky behavior among youth. It was during this critical time that the idea emerged to create an educational program aimed at helping students develop a responsible attitude toward their health and equipping them with essential knowledge.

“We realized,” recalls Tigran Yepoyan, Health Education Advisor for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at UNESCO, “that traditional lectures and moralizing would not be effective. A completely different approach was necessary—one that was interactive, dialogue-driven, and practice-oriented. That is why we focused on developing engaging and relevant content for today’s students, as well as training teachers in interactive teaching methods.”

The first and crucial step toward achieving this ambitious goal was the launch of an e-course for teachers titled “Adolescent Health in the Life Cycle” in 2015. This initiative contributed significantly to teachers’ professional skills, providing the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively communicate information about healthy lifestyles to their students. Special emphasis was placed on interactive methods and on presenting content in an accessible, easy to understand format for young students.

A significant turning point in the program’s history occurred in 2018 when the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic issued an order requiring all schools to conduct homeroom hours on Health Education for grades 6 to 11. This decision granted the program official status and facilitated its implementation in schools across the country. Since that time, the topic of a healthy lifestyle has been firmly integrated into the school curriculum, becoming an essential part of the educational process.

The program’s further development was closely tied to the implementation of a large-scale project from 2017 to 2020, titled “Building the Capacity of Educators to Deliver Health and HIV Prevention Education to Students in the Kyrgyz Republic.” The project received extensive support from international organizations, including UNESCO and UNAIDS. Significant work was accomplished as part of this project, including the development of unique methodological materials for teachers, the organization of numerous seminars and training sessions across the country, and the implementation of monitoring systems to assess the program’s effectiveness and inform its future advancement.

According to Tigran Yepoyan, “Close and fruitful collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic was one of the key factors in the program’s success. We encountered full understanding from the Ministry regarding the importance of the issue, along with comprehensive support at every stage of project implementation.”

Recognizing that effective education in the 21st century requires the use of modern technologies, the program developers emphasized interactivity. In 2020, at the request of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic and with support from UNESCO IITE, a unique series of 48 video lessons on healthy lifestyles was created, accompanied by a specially developed guide for teachers. The video lessons, designed with the students’ age specifics in mind, cover a wide range of topics, from the fundamentals of proper nutrition and benefits of physical activity to infectious disease prevention, responsible online behavior, bullying prevention, and other critical knowledge.

“We do not view our role as merely providing school students with dry information about healthy lifestyles,” says Gulshan Abdyldaeva, Chief Specialist of the Department of School and Extracurricular Education at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. “Instead, we aim to educate a generation of responsible citizens who understand the true value of health, possess self-preservation skills, and are capable of resisting negative influences and making healthy choices.”

The program’s ten-year existence is not just a milestone, but an entire era marked by impressive outcomes and achievements.

“We have trained over 3,000 teachers across Kyrgyzstan, observed more than 200 homeroom sessions in all regions, interviewed 1,500 students, organized the ‘Best Homeroom Session on Healthy Lifestyles’ contest, and effectively showcased Kyrgyzstan’s experience at international forums,” according to Rano Kutanova, project coordinator and Head of the Center for Advanced Teacher Training and Inclusive Education at Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University (KNU).

Another significant achievement was the establishment of a network of regional coordinators for healthy lifestyle education, who provide ongoing methodological and consulting support to teachers, helping them implement the program effectively and share best practices.

Valentina Gorkina, a national expert and one of the pioneers of Kyrgyzstan’s health education program, emphasizes: “Today, teachers in Kyrgyzstan have all the resources they need for systematic, high-quality teaching to foster a healthy lifestyle culture among the younger generation. These resources include official directives from the Ministry of Education, which clearly outline the role of healthy lifestyle education in the curriculum, high-quality teaching materials, and engaging video lessons covering 24 essential topics on healthy lifestyles.”

It is noteworthy that the program receives positive feedback not only from teachers but also from students, who highlight its relevance, accessibility, and practical value.

Almyn, a 9th grade student from Naryn, enthusiastically shares his impressions: “The video lessons taught me many new and useful things. I finally realized how important it is to take care of my health and how to do it properly.”

 

His classmate Rahat adds: “What I liked in particular was that after each video lesson, we had time to discuss, ask questions, share our opinions, and even debate. It was through this kind of open, live interaction that I truly understood the importance of a healthy lifestyle.”

 

Since 2022, Kyrgyzstan’s healthy lifestyles program has entered a new phase with the launch of the project “Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle in a Personality-Developing Educational Environment for Students in the Kyrgyz Republic,” implemented by Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University in collaboration with the Investment to the Future Charitable Foundation and UNESCO IITE. This project aims to create a unique, comfortable, and safe personality-developing educational environment in schools throughout Kyrgyzstan to foster comprehensive development of each child’s personality and cultivating strong skills for a healthy and safe lifestyle.

“The creation of a personality-developing educational environment is the next logical step in taking the program forward,” according to Alaibek Shamshiev, First Vice–Rector for Academic Affairs at KNU. “Indeed, health is not merely the absence of disease but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. It is crucial for children to grow and develop in an atmosphere of psychological comfort, support, and mutual understanding.”

The tenth anniversary of the Healthy Lifestyles program in Kyrgyzstan is not only an opportunity to reflect on the work accomplished so far but also a chance to evaluate the journey taken and set new goals, objectives, and horizons for the future. What began a decade ago as a bold initiative pioneered by a few enthusiasts has now evolved into a large-scale movement that is truly transforming the lives of an entire generation. Implementing all planned activities will further enhance the impact, scale, and demand for the Healthy Lifestyles program in Kyrgyzstan, while most importantly ensuring the long-term sustainability of the results already achieved. Ultimately, investing in children’s health is the most valuable investment in the country’s future!