Kassym-Jomart Tokayev demanded that teachers be freed from repair work, endless paperwork and events unrelated to the educational process. The Head of State also instructed that teacher attestation rules be reviewed and the educational database modernised.
WHAT THE HEAD OF STATE INSTRUCTED
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, teachers must be relieved of red tape, endless reports and intrusive requirements linked to attestation.
The Head of State stressed that it is unacceptable to involve teachers in repair work and public events that have no direct bearing on the education of children.
"Reports are emerging of teachers being involved in repair work and various public events that have no direct bearing on the educational process. We agreed long ago that this is unacceptable," said the President.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT ATTESTATION
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed that teacher attestation rules be reviewed. According to him, teachers have submitted numerous complaints relating to excessive workload and bureaucracy.
At the same time, the assessment of knowledge will not be scrapped. As the Head of State noted, the system must become clear, fair and transparent.
The educational database will also be modernised. It should integrate government services and relieve teachers of a significant portion of routine work.
EDUCATION REFORMS REQUIRE ANALYSIS
The President cautioned against carrying out new transformations for the sake of reform itself. According to him, every reform, particularly in education, must be comprehensively analysed and its consequences carefully considered before implementation.
The Head of State also stated the need to review educational materials that describe inaccurate historical facts and events. According to him, children should not be told about imaginary heroes and "feats" that never happened.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID ABOUT THE TEACHER SHORTAGE
Today Kazakhstan is short of more than 5,000 teachers. At the same time, this year more than 12,000 graduates received grants for teaching specialisms, of whom over 2,000 hold the "Altyn belgi" award.
Furthermore, the Head of State proposed opening a Kazakh-Chinese School of Artificial Intelligence in Astana. Children's natural history museums are also needed in Astana, Almaty and other cities.
Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan is a secular state and, in this regard, emphasis must be placed on the construction of educational institutions.
WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT THE ROLE OF SCHOOL
The Head of State paid particular attention to the upbringing of the younger generation. According to him, Kazakhstan today has around 7 million children, and with young people included, their share accounts for almost half of the population.
"Schools must become centres of quality learning and meaningful upbringing," declared Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The President also criticised the emotional debates on social media between current and former education sector workers. In his view, what is needed instead of emotional outbursts and boasting is a civilised dialogue.
CONTEXT
Earlier, a teacher at a state school in Atyrau stated that she was forced to carry out repairs to her classroom, cleaning and other maintenance work. According to the teacher, she completed some of these tasks herself because she wanted to put the classroom in order for her pupils.
In July, in Petropavlovsk, two members of the technical staff at the Abai specialised Kazakh school-gymnasium sustained serious injuries during cosmetic repair work. The women fell from scaffolding while painting walls in the sports hall.
Following the incident, police launched a pre-trial investigation into a possible breach of occupational safety rules. At the same time, the school management stated that the technical staff had carried out the repairs voluntarily.
