The Bulan Institute for Peace Innovations (hereinafter – Bulan Institute) is a non-governmental organization whose activities are aimed at preventing conflicts and threats to security in Central Asia. The head office of the Institute is located in Bishkek; there is also a small office of an international representation in Geneva. The Bulan Institute is engaged in the prevention of religious radicalism, including working on a project to reform the system of religious education in Kyrgyzstan.
In 2014, the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia conducted a situation analysis of the current state of Islamic education in Kyrgyzstan. The primary focus of that piece is an analysis of the bill “On Religious Education”, which at that time was being considered and debated in Parliament. Three years later, however, the education landscape has changed and the number of religious educational institutions has increased significantly. These facts, as well as the lack of in-depth research on religious educational institutions, particularly in regards to madrasah, have prompted the Bulan Institute to take the initiative into its own hands.