Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev took part in a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University (KNU).
He visited an exhibition dedicated to the university’s centenary, followed by the screening of a film and a theatrical prologue devoted to the occasion.
On behalf of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, Kasymaliev congratulated the university’s faculty, students, and alumni, highlighting the institution’s historic importance.
«The university has become the cradle of the Kyrgyz intelligentsia. Most of the country’s elite and outstanding historical figures were educated here. Among them are five Heroes of the Kyrgyz Republic, two Heroes of Labor, eleven academicians, more than forty national poets and writers, sixteen national teachers, one Olympic champion, and many others.
Kasym Tynystanov — the founder of Kyrgyz literature — once worked here; the shining star of Kyrgyz poetry Alykul Osmonov studied here; and Turdakun Usubaliev, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, also received his education at this university.
This university is a source of knowledge, inspiration, and the spiritual revival of our people,» he said.
The head of the Cabinet emphasized that Kyrgyz National University laid the foundation for all subsequent universities, research institutes, and the National Academy of Sciences, serving as the starting point for the development of education, science, and the intellectual growth of Kyrgyzstan.
In the QS World University Rankings, among 24,000 higher education institutions from 106 countries, the university ranks 1,234th globally, 381st in Asia, and 25th among Central Asian universities — achievements that reflect the progress of Kyrgyzstan’s higher education system.
«But we must not stop here,» Adylbek Kasymaliev added, noting the university’s vital role in training professionals for the republic.
He also announced that President Sadyr Japarov had signed a decree awarding Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University the Order of Manas, 3rd Class, in recognition of its significant contribution to the development of education and science in Kyrgyzstan and for training qualified specialists for various sectors of the national economy.
Kasymaliev presented the award to the university’s rector.
