In today's world, information technology increasingly pervades and influences our daily lives, becoming a key component of innovation, automation, and efficiency. IT stretches from educational institutes to businesses. Thus, learning to harness information technology tools is profoundly important. Yet, such knowledge often comes with associated costs, posing impediments for those who cannot afford them.
In Kyrgyzstan, however, a young Kyrgyz, Aikhan Jumashukurov, is transforming the tech education industry through his organisation, ITECABIS (Information Technology Extra Curricular Activity Bishkek International School), that removes all financial barriers to IT education for individuals aspiring to learn coding skills. What began as a humble teaching resource in Kyrgyzstan now has a global footprint, having hosted classes in Hong Kong, Prague, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
It all began when 14-year-old Aikhan and his best friend decided to enrol in a coding program. However, seeing his friend pull out due to financial constraints made Aikhan aware of an unsettling reality: IT education in Kyrgyzstan is a paid-for commodity inaccessible to all. Completing the course without his friend spurred his desire to build an inclusive space that did not discriminate on any front, especially between the paying capacities of potential participants. Thus, ITECABIS was born a year later: a free coding and NLP education institute for all.
However, Aikhan's journey was not easy. As a 15-year-old founder of an accessible technology school, his biggest challenge remained the limited resources he had to work with. Recognising that not all low-income participants would have access to smart gadgets or high-speed internet, Aikhan built on his existing communication skills to network extensively at in-person events and online on LinkedIn. He successfully leveraged his passion for technology with his hope for change to convince tech professionals to lend their spaces and equipment at no extra cost. Thus, ITECABIS introduced Kyrgyzstan's first free in-person tech tutorials with fully equipped classrooms.
Providing a range of programming courses from front-end and back-end development, NLP to mobile development, the offerings are versatile and targeted at varying audiences to ensure most needs are met. "While we experience high demand for front and back-end development, we make it a priority to have courses on NLP because of the rapid evolution of AI and its increasing role in our lives," says Aikhan. For ITECABIS, the quality of education is underpinned by a forward-thinking approach that can predict and prepare its students for the future.
With over 800 students taught in Bishkek alone, ITECABIS's founder and core team were inspired by its success. ITECABIS's growing popularity led the founder to launch a parallel online system to enfranchise a larger audience. With no charges for the courses except a nominal fee refunded in full at the end of a participant's course completion, the online classes began drawing participation rates as high as 100 people per session, averaging at least 50 for most courses.
Yet, Aikhan noticed that the online classes were dominated by teenagers, with participation from older age groups needing to be more active. Having first-hand seen the transformative impacts of technological understanding in his home through hours of tech lessons with his grandmother, Aikhan began outreach efforts towards senior citizens. Having successfully leveraged his organisation's status and results, he built a large-scale partnership in 2023 with one of the largest old-age homes in Kyrgyzstan, the Bishkek City Boarding House for the Elderly and People with Disabilities. ITECABIS volunteers visit these senior citizens weekly to teach pre-approved elemental functionality lessons like operating social media and ordering Yandex (a local taxi service), having impacted more than 80 seniors so far. "At ITECABIS, we truly believe that modern technology can be life-changing for all age groups, especially seniors, helping them dramatically improve their lives."
Due to the sheer scale of the project and its rapid expansion, the organisation has an annual volunteer turnover of approximately 100 volunteers, with more than half being dedicated tech professionals committed to increasing access to technology education.
Driven by ITECABIS's impact in Kyrgyzstan, Aikhan felt the need to move across borders. "It was the natural next step. How could we let borders limit the impact we could have and the lives we could transform?" Thus, Aikhan spent hours meticulously reviewing resumes to find the most suitable international ambassadors, who worked with him and his team to devise offline classes in their home countries and native languages for students from all backgrounds and skill sets at no cost. Beginning in Kazakhstan, ITECABIS's courses were expanded to Hong Kong, having completed one full iteration for this year.
For Aikhan, it is vital to ensure every person in the world, regardless of social status, geographical location, or age, is not deprived of the fundamental right to education, especially regarding technology. He hopes his example can inspire other young leaders to take charge and create the change they wish to see.
"There is no negative consequence in trying something you want to do; all you need is a goal with passion and perseverance to achieve it."
