UCA Researcher Honoured with Collective Coin by National Bank of Kyrgyzstan

Dr Kemel Toktomushev, UCA’s Senior Research Fellow, has been honoured with the ‘Warrior of Kyrgyz Kaganat’ collective coin by the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic in recognition of his significant contributions to promoting economic and financial literacy in Kyrgyzstan.

Dr Toktomushev is part of UCA’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), which partnered with the Economic Fundamentals Initiative (EFI) several years ago to launch Common Sense Economics—a programme designed to deliver economic literacy in an engaging and accessible manner while dispelling misconceptions about financial education.

In collaboration with EFI, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Financial Literacy Department of the National Bank, IPPA has also played a key role in organising the International Economics Olympiad in Kyrgyzstan. Now in its third year, the Olympiad has enabled the country’s top five finalists to compete on an international stage in Europe.

A key milestone of this initiative was the translation of the Common Sense Economics textbook into Kyrgyz, a move welcomed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic. The book has since been distributed to schools nationwide, equipping students with an invaluable resource to enhance their financial literacy.

Additionally, the programme’s flagship annual conference has grown into a cornerstone event for economic awareness, attracting a large group of participants, including students, media influencers, and economics enthusiasts.