A solemn school assembly for Kazakh students will be held on the Knowledge Day on September 1. The upcoming school year will last 33 academic weeks for first graders and 34 weeks for the rest of the students. The corresponding order was signed by Kazakh Minister of Education and Science Askhat Aimagambetov. It comes into force on August 10. Thus, in the upcoming academic year, the autumn holidays will last seven days, from November 1 to 7 inclusive, and the winter holidays will last 11 days, from December 30 to January 9. Spring break is traditionally the longest. It will last 12 days, from March 19 to 30. As usual, first graders will also have extra days of rest from 7 to 13 February. It was decided not to make school uniforms compulsory this school year due to the pandemic. Pupils can attend school in classic style clothing, Aimagambetov said.
“In view of the epidemiological situation, the coronavirus restrictions are currently in effect in many regions of the country and store opening hours are restricted, in some cities they are open only on weekdays. So we understand that if parents will massively go to shopping malls in order to purchase school uniforms for their children, that could trigger queues and risks of COVID-19 infection,” the minister said.
Despite the debates on the compulsory wearing of school uniforms, the most important thing for the ministry was to objectively assess the current situation and foresee possible risks, Aimagambetov stressed.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
