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Kazkahstan: Educational Deadlock

Categories: Central Asia & Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Education, Governance

The problem of Kazakhstani textbooks for secondary school is still very urgent – numerous misprints, factual errors and inadequate language are charachteristic for these books.

Lately, the Minister of Education reported to the ruling party on his activity, and told that his ministry is not responsible for them, as they are allegedly developed autonomously by printhouses. This is not true, notes slavasay [1]; he reminds that it has been 4 years ago when the “Textbook” research center was created under the Ministry. He also gives an example of the ministry's work [ru]:

Cover of the “Russian Language” textbook has two misprints in the title and one in the name. It is hard to imagine what's inside.

Megakhuimyak shares [2] his impressions after the teaching experience at the informal journalism school and at the higher educational institution [ru]:

Conclusion: The system of education will be saved by small post-graduate schools, which deliver knowledge on one speciality, and where experienced professionals are teaching. Employers will soon respect such certificates more than the university's diplomas.

Meanwhile, the government considers the possibility of introducing compulsory drug use tests in schools. The motive is the good intention – care of the children's health. Itsuken doubts [3] – in case of positive test results the kid will suffer from biased attitude in school; besides, after such discovery, he would incline more to communication with marginal children [ru]:

Besides, police will have a life-time discrediting material against any of teenage dupe. And our health care system is too dubious, that it is quite scary to let a child undergo a mass blood test. It would have been much better to spend these funds for organization of normal leisure time for children.

Also posted on neweurasia [4].