President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the participants of the congress on Teacher’s Day, especially noting that the teaching community continues to work tirelessly for the bright future of our country.
“The statement of the teacher of the nation, Akhmet Baitursynov, sounds more relevant than ever: “Improving the lives of the people must begin precisely with the education of children.” Education and science are the main key to success. Our most important task is to educate and train the younger generation according to advanced standards. Therefore, the community of teachers, that is, you, has the highest responsibility,” the head of state said.
The President emphasized that the state pays special attention to improving the social status of teachers and increasing the prestige of their activities.
“On my initiative, a special Law “On the Status of a Teacher” was adopted in 2019. Over the past four years, teachers' salaries have doubled. Recently, the salary of kindergarten teachers increased by 30%. Teachers' leave of absence has been extended. Teachers were relieved of all additional work not included in their direct responsibilities. Great importance is attached to improving the professional qualifications of teachers. Over three years, about 220 teachers were trained abroad under the Bolashak program. The requirements for young people who have chosen the teaching profession have increased. Scholarships for students of pedagogical specialties have been increased by 2.5 times. In a word, training qualified teachers remains a priority,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
According to the head of state, pedagogy has become one of the most important branches of science. Therefore, fundamentally new approaches are needed in this area. In this context, the President touched upon a number of issues related to the education sector.
Firstly, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the need to improve the qualifications of teachers. According to him, today teachers not only teach educational material, but also promote the development of social skills and emotional intelligence in children. The high calling of an educator requires ongoing professional development, empathy, and a willingness to embrace change.
“A teacher is the most important link in the process of forming a new quality of our nation. Therefore, it is extremely important to fully provide the education system with qualified specialists. However, our schools are now experiencing a serious staff shortage. Today the country lacks 5 thousand teachers, and this figure is only growing. At the same time, every fifth graduate of pedagogical specialties is not employed by profession. In addition, only 23% of teachers have the highest category. All this requires a radical update of approaches to training and advanced training of teachers. Pedagogical programs at universities are largely based on outdated methods that do not take into account modern realities. It is necessary to review and modernize training programs to include new approaches and technologies,” the president said.
The second important task, according to the head of state, is for children to receive a modern, advanced education.
“According to scientists, by 2050 up to half of current professions will be replaced by digital and technical systems. Therefore, our citizens must master the skills necessary in the conditions of new times. This is a very important task. They used to say “a diploma will feed you for the rest of your life.” Today the principle “get educated throughout your life” is relevant. Nowadays, the main thing for employers is not a diploma or certificate. They value, above all, disciplined and diligent young specialists, open to new knowledge and ready to adapt to changing realities. Therefore, every person must constantly learn,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Another pressing problem that was touched upon in the speech was the lack of places in schools. According to the president, more than 400 thousand children are born in the country every year. Such rates of demographic growth are a serious challenge for the education system.
“During the years of independence, about 2,300 schools were built in the country. As a result, it was possible to get rid of the four-shift education system. However, a three-shift training system still exists today. The technical equipment of many schools is outdated. All these problems require a systemic solution. On my initiative, the “Comfortable School” project is being implemented in the country. Within two years, hundreds of educational institutions will be built in all regions, including rural areas. Thanks to this, we will get rid of three-shift training forever,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The head of state noted that during a recent meeting with entrepreneurs, he raised the issue of the need to build schools as charitable assistance. In addition, illegal proceeds from persons prosecuted for corruption are used to build schools. 13 schools have already been built. By the end of the year, 33 more schools will be built.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev once again recalled that it is important to make school the safest place, to install video surveillance and alarm systems for all educational institutions. The problems of bullying, bullying, and violence among schoolchildren also did not go unnoticed.
“I instructed the presidential administration to take special control of all such cases in order to punish the criminals according to the law - I can’t find another word for these people. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General's Office must finally fulfill their responsibilities regarding the safety of children. The Children's Rights Ombudsman should record all such cases and report to me. We will take the strictest measures. There is no other way to stop the rampage of rapists in schools; it is necessary to eradicate such a shameful phenomenon as the spread of criminal psychology in schools,” said the head of state.
The President drew attention to the need to eliminate inequality in the quality of education between urban and rural schools. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of developing rural schools as intellectual and social centers.
“It’s not for nothing that they say: “The village lives as long as there is a school.” The school performs a number of social functions. Public meetings, cultural events, and sports competitions take place here. In other words, the rural school serves to unite local residents. In this regard, entrepreneurs have a great responsibility. Now, within the framework of public-private partnership, work has begun to modernize rural schools. With this approach, it is necessary to fully equip at least a thousand rural schools with the necessary equipment within three years,” the head of state said.
Another important task he named is accelerating the pace of digitalization of the educational process, since digital solutions make it possible to quickly and effectively scale up advanced teaching practices. With their help, even schoolchildren in the most remote areas can be provided with materials and lessons from the best teachers in the country and the world.
“Providing rural schools with high-speed Internet is the responsibility of both the Ministry of Digital Development and regional akims. In six months I will check the implementation of this instruction. In general, we are facing a large-scale digital transformation of the education system in order to bring it to a qualitatively new level. First of all, by 2027 we need to provide high-speed Internet to all schools where it does not yet exist,” the head of state noted.
According to the president, along with quality education, moral education of students is also necessary. Responsible citizens are the backbone of the state. This principle should become the basis for the formation of a new social ethics in the country. Therefore, it is important that schools become centers where children will learn moral principles and human values.
Concluding his speech, the head of state emphasized that according to the Constitution, Kazakhstan is a secular state.
“The principle of secularism must be strictly observed in all spheres, including education. We must always remember that school is, first of all, an educational institution where children come to gain knowledge. Whereas religious beliefs are a choice and a private matter of every citizen. Freedom of religion in our country is guaranteed by law. I think it would be right if the child makes his choice when he grows up and develops his own worldview. The most important thing is to raise a generation with an open worldview, a clear consciousness, and true to traditions,” the president emphasized.
During the meeting, teachers representing educational institutions in Astana and a number of regions made proposals for the development of the education sector.
In conclusion, the head of state awarded the honorary title “Kazakhstannyn enbek sinirgen ustazy” to a number of teachers for outstanding achievements in the field of education and significant contribution to the development of Kazakhstan. Among the awardees are labor veteran Mayra Mambetova (Almaty), teacher of secondary school No. 16 named after Kozhabergen-zhyrau Aizhan Kapezova (Petropavlovsk), teacher of the secondary boarding school named after S. Abdizhapparov Roza Salimova (Turkestan region), school teacher - gymnasium named after A. Baitursynuly Sabir Kulpeisov (Karaganda), teacher of the educational complex of the kindergarten named after academician K. Satpayev Sabit Ibadullin (Pavlodar region), teacher of the school-lyceum No. 50 “Kazgarysh” named after Raiymbek-batyr Aigul Erzhanova (Astana ), teacher of the Aktobe regional specialized boarding school “Bilim-Innovation” Bayan Bazargalieva.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
