He became Rector of the university in 2011, serving until 2019, when he was appointed Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan.

During his tenure, he introduced a program which sought to produce better quality textbooks in the Kyrgyz language.

[2] During the 2020 Kyrgyzstani protests, Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov's cabinet was sacked.

Although it was initially announced that ministers would remain in place, the Japarov administration formed a completely different staff.

[4] Kanybek Isakov died in Bishkek on 12 November 2020, at the age of 51, after contracting COVID-19.