School in Bishkek Named After Kemel Toqayev

School-Gymnasium No. 33 in Bishkek now bears the name of Kemel Toqayev, a Kazakh writer, veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and father of the current president of Kazakhstan. The press secretary of the Head of State made this announcement, Orda.kz, reports, citing Kaktus.

Renaming the school in honor of Kemel Toqayev was proposed by the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov. He informed Qasym-Jomart Toqayev of his decision during their meeting as part of a working visit to Russia.

Kemel Toqayev studied at the Frunze Infantry School during the Great Patriotic War. Today, Bishkek School No. 33 is located in this same building. It was from here that he went to the front.

In 2023, KazNU opened an auditorium named after Kemel Toqayev. This caused discussion: some consider it a tribute to the writer and veteran, while others think it is a manifestation of a personality cult. 

Human rights activist Bakhytzhan Toregozhina saw this as a continuation of the Soviet tradition of glorifying power. Political scientist Daniyar Ashimbayev, on the contrary, noted that the scale of the event was too small for a personality cult and that President Toqayev was limiting his authority. 

The Head of State stated that he does not welcome flattery, and officially limited his powers to one seven-year presidential term.

Earlier, it was reported that the President of Kazakhstan presented this gymnasium with a school bus. And on May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Qasym-Jomart Toqayev with an award sheet to award his father the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov