Kemin School

Kemin (formerly Bystrovka), is a small town in Kyrgystan near Tokmok and about 120 km to the east of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.  The town was originally a Ukrainian settlement, but now it is predominantly Kyrgyz.  The previous name, Bystrovka, is supposedly a shortened version of �bystraya rechka� (�fast river�). 

The economic condition of Kemin substantially lower than in the other towns where ACSCA schools are located.  In Soviet times, there were 4 factories in town, but all have closed since 1991.  Most educated inhabitants have left town in search of work.  Virtually the only work available in Kemin is in the bazaar and seasonally in the fields, for 1-2 dollars/day, depending on the quantity of work done.  The children whose families cannot afford the fees for textbooks and building repair in public schools are left without education, productive activities, parental attention, and often even without provision for basic needs or medical care.  Most of them barely survive, and some resort to eating chicken feed.  A "monument"- a plain old boulder- with a metal plaque was erected not long ago, but the plaque has already been removed.  Anything worth anything is stolen to be sold.  Even at risk of life and limb people climb up power poles to take the wires to resell them. 

The Kemin school differs from the active NLM schools in that its students are mostly Kyrgyz, as opposed to Russian.  It is also unique in its size (20 students as opposed to 120-220 in other ACSCA schools) and in that a large proportion of its students are disabled in some way.  Likewise, the style of teaching here is individual, rather than collective, as in the other ACSCA schools and public schools.  Here the children sit at three tables in the center of the room so that each can receive individual attention from the teacher, who circulates from one student to the next.  Finally, the Kemin School is unique in that it is not registered with the Department of Education because the students, ages 4-18, are all at a first-grade level and not capable of meeting the basic requirements of the national education program.  The teachers have visited the children's homes and explain that many come from broken, violent, and alcoholic homes.

Four years ago a boarding school for disabled children was opened, operated by a local couple. Sometime in 1997 or 1998, the Soros Foundation gave a large grant for the school, but much of the money was pocketed.  As a result, the school was closed, the couple that operated the school divorced, and legal proceedings regarding stolen funds begun are still in process.  Parents of the children then appealed for help to Vasili Mihailski, pastor of Word of Faith Church, as the main teacher attends his church.  In February 2000, the church began to hold lessons in its own building, a 1-story house without electricity.  The Canadian Assemblies of God provided $100/month of support since spring 2000, which went towards teacher salaries (2 x  $20/month = $40), $8.3/week for food, and the rest for teaching materials, textbooks, pencils, notebooks, etc.  

In September 2000, the Kemin School became part of the network of ACSCA schools, increasing its budget and ability to help the children.  Now, in cooperation with Mission of Mercy, ACSCA provides direct help to these very needy children in the form of education, food, attention, and Christian teaching and nurture.  Presently, there are two teachers (the original teacher and the pastor's wife) working with 20 children in two shifts: first with the older children (about 12-17) and then with the younger (about 4-11). Two of the children are deaf-mutes and almost all have serious learning and/or behavioral problems, though this is mostly related to neglect.  Several have trouble with Russian, the language of instruction.  The teachers work with the children one-by-one since they have found that it is ineffective to try to teach several simultaneously.  The school provides food as well: rolls, milk, hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes tea.  The slowest children also receive after-school tutoring.  The topics covered are very basic: reading and writing Russian, music.  The deaf children are taught and encouraged to use mainstream sign language. 

Due to poverty and lack of transportation, some children walk for up to two hours to reach school.  Accordingly, it is highly inconvenient for families to drop off their children and pick them up after just a few hours, so some parents/grandparents remain at the school during lessons, sometimes helping the teachers.  

In the future, ACSCA plans to acquire a building with electricity for the Kemin School and to add lessons teaching some skill such as sewing, knitting, carpentry, and/or farming.  The future should also make clear whether it will be worthwhile and realistic to expand the very limited education goals of the school to conform to the Department of Education requirements.  Currently the only subjects taught are reading, writing, math, art, music, and literature (the children act out simple fairy tales).  Socialization is also an important goal of the present teachers.  Although there are no toys or playground, the teachers may lead an investigation of the grounds, observing the flowers, trees, mountains, etc.

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