Almaty: Residents Disagree Over Language of Instruction at New School No. 224

In Almaty, School No. 224 has not yet opened, but the language of instruction remains a point of contention. On October 27, dozens of residents of the Bostandyq district gathered at the akimat, demanding that the new school operate exclusively in Kazakh, Orda.kz reports.

The school, built under the national “Comfortable School” project, is one of the largest and most modern in the city, designed for 2,500 students. 

Residential complexes in the area are expanding rapidly, and the population is growing, but there are still too few Kazakh-language schools. Parents say their children have been on waiting lists for years.

They’re building more and more high-rises. There aren’t enough schools or clinics. So when we heard a new school was being built here, we were very happy. At first, they said it would be a Kazakh school. I have three children. I drive them all winter — one goes in the morning, the other in the afternoon. All my time is spent driving them,
 said one resident.

I had to send my son to a private school. I paid 200,000 tenge a month for a year. Only in the second grade were we able to transfer to a public school. The demand for Kazakh-language classes is very high,
 said Zhuldyz Baglan.

We were initially promised that instruction would be in Kazakh. We were delighted. And now they’re saying it will be mixed. Why are we being left out again?

Sairan Tapenuly, head of the Bostandyq district education department, and Aidar Yesenbekov, head of the public development department, met with parents.

Officials invited residents to a reception to discuss the issue.

There is disagreement among district residents. Some parents want the school to be entirely Kazakh, fearing that in a mixed environment children will speak less Kazakh and gradually shift to Russian, which they believe affects national identity. Meanwhile, Russian-speaking parents point out the school’s convenient location and want their children to study there. All proposals and requests have been submitted to the city education department, which will make the final decision,
 the akimat told Orda.kz.

The dispute remains unresolved. The city education department is expected to make a decision soon. The school is scheduled to open in a week, but has not yet started enrolling students.

There are currently 35 schools in the Bostandyq district — 10 Russian, 9 Kazakh, and 16 mixed.

Original Author: Aisha Aldayar