Teacher Education in Central Asia: A Structural Comparison of Five Post-Soviet Systems

Abstract

This paper examines teacher-education governance across the five Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) and how structural-managerial arrangements function as a framework for teaching capacity. Using a descriptive comparative analysis and a most-similar-systems design, we operationalized seven criteria: governance, regulation, curriculum, field experience, quality assurance, talent management, and language/digital strategy. Data include national legislation, UNESCO/World Bank statistics, OECD TALIS 2024, and peer-reviewed literature (929-938). The five systems extend Silova's (2009) tri-partite pattern: institutionally diversified reformers under strong central regulation (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan); donor-supported stabilisers shaped by labour out-migration (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), and a closed administrative case (Turkmenistan, provisionally placed) with 929-938 evidence, updating Silova's (2009) typology fifteen years on. Data availability is uneven; Turkmenistan is documented through open sources only. The analysis offers a structural map, not a performance ranking. The seven-criterion matrix provides a diagnostic for benchmarking reforms and identifying bottlenecks in teacher-education governance.