The reforms in the field of state print media in Kyrgyzstan have begun, initiated by a presidential decree. The Deputy Minister of Culture, Information, and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Marat Tagaev, shared details about the implementation of this initiative.
According to Tagaev, until now, publications such as the newspapers "Kyrgyz Tuu" and "Slovo Kyrgyzstana," as well as the magazines "Baichchekey," "Kyrchin," and "Zhetkinchek," operated independently of each other. Some of them functioned on a self-sustaining basis, independently providing salaries to their employees.
“Today we made an important decision: the magazines 'Kyrchin' and 'Zhetkinchek' have been liquidated, and based on them and other publications, a single publishing house 'Kyrgyz Tuu' has been created,” added the deputy minister.
The new publishing house includes the newspapers "Kyrgyz Tuu" and "Slovo Kyrgyzstana," as well as the newly established literary magazine "Ala-Tuu" and the children's magazine "Baichchekey." All these publications will now receive funding from the state budget.
As Marat Tagaev noted, the salaries of the employees will be fully covered by state funds, and author royalties will be allocated additionally from funds received in a special account.
Moreover, as part of the reform, the management and administrative functions will be consolidated. “Previously, each publication had its own director, accounting, and managers, but now a single publishing house with a unified management system will be created,” he explained.
The deputy minister emphasized that these changes will not lead to a reduction in content or the disappearance of national publications. “The goal of the reform is to streamline operations, eliminate duplicative functions, and use budgetary funds more efficiently. The saved resources will be directed towards content development, improving material quality, and modernizing publications,” Tagaev concluded.
