The Ministry of Education and Science hosted a meeting of the Minister of Education and Science Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva with representatives of UNICEF Kyrgyzstan and the company Clè de Peau Beautè — UNICEF's partner funding the Girls in Science (STEM4Girls) programme.

The meeting was devoted to the analysis of the contribution of the Girls in Science programme in promoting the national education development agenda and ensuring the sustainability of the results achieved in the education system of Kyrgyzstan.

The Minister expressed her sincere gratitude to UNICEF for their support and contribution to the development of STEM education in the country.

During her speech, she noted that STEM-education of girls in Kyrgyzstan is of particular relevance. Modern challenges such as accelerated scientific and technological progress, industrial revolution, climate change, environmental security and global conflicts require deep study of science, technology, engineering and maths.

«Today, it is crucial to motivate girls to study in fields such as technology management, engineering and medicine. We have involved mentors and IT professionals in this project to inspire girls to pursue education in these fields. The Girls in Science project needs further development and support», — she said.

Samman Thapa, UNICEF Representative in KR, emphasised the importance of joint efforts to ensure equal access to quality education for children.

«We highly appreciate your efforts to ensure that every child in Kyrgyzstan has the opportunity to learn. It is not easy to achieve the set ambitious goals, but we are confident that coordinated work will bring the education system to a modern level», — said UNICEF Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic Samman Thapa.

Clè de Peau Beautè brand deputy CEO Naomi Kawanishi expressed her commitment to supporting girls in their pursuit of science education.

«We want girls to pursue science and get quality education. We visited the school yesterday and saw how the girls shared their knowledge and influenced each other. We intend to continue our co-operation and support educational initiatives, empowering girls», — she said.

It is worth noting that the Girls in Science (STEM4Girls) project was initiated by UNICEF in 2020 in Kyrgyzstan and aims to empower girls aged 15-17 in STEM fields. The programme helps to overcome gender inequality and develop the leadership skills of female participants. To date, the project has trained 60,000 children from 131 schools in five provinces of Kyrgyzstan.