Debate Over Language of Instruction at Almaty’s School No. 224 Continues

On October 31, dozens of parents and activists gathered at the Almaty Akimat for the third time, demanding that the new School No. 224 in the Bostandyq District be exclusively Kazakh-language.

An Orda.kz correspondent listened to the views of all parties.

The school is designed for 2,500 students and is one of the most modern and largest educational institutions.

However, before its opening, the language of instruction became a major point of contention between parents and authorities.

"What's Stopping The Opening of a Kazakh School?"

One of the mothers who attended the meeting said that the problem of getting her child into a Kazakh school in the area has been dragging on for years.

Eight years ago, she moved from Aqsay to the Bostandyq district:

At that time, there was only one Kazakh school in the district, No. 140, but our building wasn't part of its district. Later, two Kazakh classes were opened at School No. 94. But all the holidays there are celebrated entirely in Russian, and Nauryz isn't celebrated at all. So what's stopping them from opening a full-fledged Kazakh school?

Many parents are currently hesitant to enroll their children in the new school. Because there's no clear guarantee that instruction will be exclusively in Kazakh. If it turns out to be a mixed-language school, everything will return to where it started,
 the woman adds.

The head of the education department, Sairan Tapenuly, provided an official clarification.

Admissions to the school began on October 29. As of 1:00 PM on October 31, 1,002 applications had been submitted.

Of these, 779 are in Kazakh classes, 223 in Russian classes. The district's microdistrict has 633 children, 611 of whom have applied for Kazakh classes. These children will be accepted on a mandatory basis. Fifty-five Kazakh-language teachers have already been hired, and another 12 teachers are transferring from other schools. However, we have not yet been able to find teachers for Russian classes. Therefore, starting in the second quarter, School No. 224 will begin teaching in Kazakh,
 he said.

Other Concerns

At the meeting, parents also expressed concern that the school was accepting children from abroad.

Sairan Tapenuly gave a specific answer:

This is untrue. The school is not authorized to accept foreign citizens. If a foreigner wishes to study, they submit a written application to the education department. The application is reviewed, and if space is available, they are referred to another school. The new 'Comfortable Schools' project is not designed for this category.

A Relic of Colonial Policy

Writer and social activist Marat Baidildauly stated that the dispute should be assessed not as a simple linguistic issue, but from the perspective of national identity.

Since 1982, we've been pushing for schools in Almaty to open with Kazakh as the language of instruction. In Soviet times, we dreamed of at least one Kazakh-language classroom in a corner of a school. And now we're an independent country. A mixed school is a relic of colonial policy, a way to Russify the Kazakhs. Why should we, in an independent state, have to live with the consequences of that system? A school should be either entirely Kazakh or entirely Russian. A mixed school weakens the spirit of the nation,
 said the writer.

After the meeting, most parents said they distrusted the promises made by the Akimat representatives.

They said the officials, as usual, limited themselves to reassuring statements and calls for patience.

Original Author: Aisha Aldayar