A private school in Atyrau has closed, where parents paid from 700,000 to 1 million tenge for their children's education.
According to ORDA, children at the institution were supposed to study languages and attend various clubs, but lessons stopped as early as January.
"We trusted the advertising and the teachers — we signed a contract and paid for the year's tuition. We were promised a lot. But in January we found out that lessons weren't happening, and several teachers had resigned. No one told us about this," parents said.
One of the fathers, Kairat Alenov, said those who were misled are trying to get their money back, but so far without success.
"In June and August I paid a million each for two children. In October, the operators called and offered a discount of 700,000 on condition of an advance payment. That's how they convinced us. Lately, the children went to school but weren't being taught. Now we demand our money back," he shared.
As it became known, the school, which opened in September 2024 and had over 200 students, was operating without the appropriate licence. Moreover, the institution had previously been fined for the same reason.
"Without a state licence, educational activities are prohibited. This school never once submitted an application for a licence. Our department collected materials and sent them to the specialised administrative court," explained the head of the department for quality assurance in education, Berdibek Taishev.
The school's management declined to comment but assured that parents would get their money back. Meanwhile, the police department of the Atyrau region has launched an investigation under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 'Fraud'.