Students with Special Education Needs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan

The Open Society Institute Education Support Program has provided funding for research by the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD) on education policies and services affecting children with special education in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Divided by country, this report gives an overview of education policies and services designed to support children with special education needs due to disability, learning difficulty, or disadvantage. The findings vary but generally show that policy suffers from lack of clear data about children with disabilities and learning difficulty, poor coordination between the line ministries responsible for health, education, and social protection, and is negatively influenced by a medical, "defectological" approach that focuses on children’s limitations rather than their potential.

Of the three, only Kazakhstan has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and significant social stigma is still associated with disability throughout the region. In response to these challenges, the OECD has worked with local stakeholders in each country to formulate specific recommendations. However, all countries are recommended to sign and implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to adopt the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, to invest more in early intervention, and to put the transition to high-quality education that includes all children at the center of education reform.

Findings from the report, which is also available on the OECD website in English and Russian, support continuing education reform to ensure that all children have access to education free from social stigma and segregation.

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