In the village of Shetpe, Mangistau Region, the situation with transporting schoolchildren has become critical. After the closure of the emergency Lyceum School No. 7 in Ashchybulak, nearly a thousand pupils were transferred to School No. 6, and lessons are now held in three shifts.
According to Lada.kz, the transport arrangement for children is extremely unsatisfactory: three buses serve hundreds of schoolchildren. As a result, vehicles designed for 25–30 seats are carrying 60–80 children.
Parents claim that children struggle to breathe on the journey, complain of nausea, and some have fainted. Furthermore, the buses drop schoolchildren off on the opposite side of a busy highway without pedestrian crossings, forcing the children to dash across the road, risking their lives.
At the same time, some pupils are forced to walk up to four kilometres each day.
Villagers say they have repeatedly contacted the local akimat but have received no concrete solution. Parents with their own cars now have to transport not only their own children but also their neighbours' children.
For context, in December last year, it was reported that a school bus in the village of Kenkiyak, Aktobe Region, had been idle for about two years. Children were forced to get to school on their own, which caused concern among parents due to early darkness and stray dogs.