3.9 million Kazakh children to start new school year

The new school year is just around the corner. Parents are rushing to stock up on school supplies. Among them is Saltanat Turdybekova, a resident of Astana. She plans to visit school fairs to purchase supplies for her children, who will be starting the first and fourth grades this year. According to her, these fairs offer a large selection of goods at prices below the market rate.

“This year, we started getting ready for school later, but the prices are still affordable. On average, 50,000 tenge is needed for stationery and clothing for a child, and 100,000 tenge for two children. The school uniform should be in black and white; a mix of colors is not allowed. It is necessary to ensure the child has all the necessary school supplies. Parents should also take care of the child’s hygiene and proper grooming, instilling these habits from an early age. This is vital for the common good of children,” said Saltanat Turdybekova, a resident of Astana.

Special focus is directed towards socially vulnerable population groups. The number of children from such categories this year amounts to over 450,000. For these purposes, more than 18 billion tenge has been allocated from the universal education fund.

“The compulsory education program offers financial assistance in the amount of 41,000 tenge for more than 14,000 children in Astana. The funds are transferred to the parents' special bank account. Also, children are provided with backpacks containing essential school supplies within the annual ‘The Road to School’ charity campaign. The number of children who received assistance amounted to 8,012 last year and 8,500 this year,” said Serik Adylbayev, Deputy Head of the Education Department of Astana city.

3.9 million children will attend schools in the country this year, with 364,000 of them being first-graders. On the instructions of the Head of State, free meals will be provided to primary school students starting from September 1st. Regarding the trilingual education system, it will be introduced gradually for students. Thus, first-graders in schools where Kazakh is the language of instruction will focus solely on Kazakh during their first year. Russian will be introduced there from the second grade, and English from the third grade. Middle and senior students can also anticipate upcoming novelties.

 “In schools where the instruction is in the Kazakh language, all exams are conducted in the Kazakh language. Meanwhile, in Russian-language schools starting from this academic year, students in grades 5 to 8 and 10 will take exams in such subjects as the Kazakh language and Kazakh literature. The Kazakh language proficiency will be assessed based on such skills as listening, speaking, reading and writing, in accordance with the state general educational standard,” said Bibi Abilkarimova, spokesperson for the Kazakh Ministry of Education.

This year, 52 new schools are set to open their doors. Additionally, 102 more educational institutions are projected to commence operations by year-end. This will contribute to solving the problem of emergency and three-shift schools, according to industry experts.

Editor: Bayan