At the college of the Temirbek Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts, a practice of collecting money from students' parents for various needs related to the examination process has been identified.
For reference: The T. K. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts includes within its structure not only a higher education institution, but also a college and a boarding school.
Information was received via the FBRK anonymous bot that the administration of the college at the academy allegedly requires parents to provide financial contributions for organising state exams, including "laying on a spread" for the examination board and payment for document processing.
Our editorial team has obtained correspondence from a group chat, according to which the parents of students are obliged to arrange refreshments for the examination board, consisting of 5-6 people.
During the defence of final theses, the number of those present increases to 30-35 people, which significantly raises costs. The collection of funds is organised by form tutors, one of whom is actively coordinating the process via a messenger app.
In addition to the costs of catering for the board, 1000 tenge is collected from each student as a "gift to the college" and a further 2000 tenge for diploma processing. Students must also pay for the production of an information banner displaying the exam dates.
Particular attention is drawn to the fact that the correspondence explicitly specifies the preferred method of transferring money — "in cash via the children". Such wording may indicate an attempt to avoid the official recording of these payments.
According to the information in the correspondence, the state exams are scheduled for mid-April this year. The discussion of organisational matters is being conducted well in advance, which suggests that this practice of collecting funds may be systematic in nature.
Such demands raise questions regarding their legality. Under current Kazakhstan law, state educational institutions are financed from the budget, and conducting examination activities is part of their direct responsibilities.
Additional levies on parents for organising exams and "gifts" to the educational institution are not provided for by regulations and could be considered a violation of the rights of students and their families.
The practice of unofficial fundraising not only places an additional financial burden on students' families but also contributes to the formation of an opaque system of relationships between the educational institution and its students.
This could negatively impact the objectivity of knowledge assessment and create a distorted understanding among young people of the principles by which state institutions operate.
The editorial team of FBRK asks the Anti-Corruption Agency to look into this situation.
We have also sent an official request to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, asking whether the department considers such a practice of levies to be normal, and if so — why these payments are not included in official payment systems (e.g., Kaspi.kz) to ensure transparency and legality of financial transactions?
We will continue to follow developments and keep our readers informed of the results of the investigation.