Youth's Life in The North

The presence of many seemingly unsolvable problems pushes young people to leave the North Kazakhstan region. However, there are those who want to stay and improve the area. Orda.kz looked into the matter. 

Last week, the Minister of Energy Almasadam Satkaliyev visited the North Kazakhstan region. He met with residents and discussed issues regarding the regional energy system’s modernization, disappointing them that this process is being delayed. It turned out that there is an acute shortage of specialists for the repair and maintenance of infrastructure. This is due to the fact that an active population outflow continues in the region. Many young people leave.

Tugan Zher

At the same time, there are those who do not want to leave the region. They strive to improve the situation in the North Kazakhstan Region as much as they can and are working on its development.

One of these people is the head of the North Kazakhstan branch of the Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan (MISK), Sergey Klamm.

He is a native of the regional center, the city of Petropavlovsk, graduated from school there and then attendedd the North Kazakhstan State University named after Manash Kozybayev. He has received a bachelor's degree in finance and is currently studying for a master's degree in law.

Sergey Klamm repeated the opinion that has already been expressed many times: the main problems in the North Kazakhstan Region are low wages and high emigration. Many young people leave. Most of them go to Russia, in particular to Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Novosibirsk. They also leave for Astana, Almaty, and Karaganda, where there is a medical university. China has also recently become a popular destination.

"I myself planned to go to Russia after graduation. Since I was very fond of basketball and learned that basketball players are very valued in Russian universities, they receive various benefits, perks, universities promote them. They can allocate a special scholarship. And no one needs this at our university. Sports talents and victories will not give you any advantages,"

Sergey admitted.

A Valiant Effort

The young man decided to stay in his hometown and study there regardless. In parallel with his studies, Sergey participated in the activities of the students' union and then joined the ranks of the MISK volunteers.

"I was worried about such a problem as forcing students to participate in various events as people in the background. Without the right to speak out, to raise any issues. And those who participated were given extra points, and those who refused lost points. I didn't like it. I wanted to draw the general public's attention to this problem and turned to MISK for help."

Sergey later organized a flash mob. He found five mannequins to symbolize students, sealed their mouths and put them on Constitution Street in Petropavlovsk between the buildings of the regional and city akimats. He did this several times until the police convinced him that it was not worth doing anymore.

He became an active MISK volunteer and eventually the head of the regional branch. 

According to Sergey Klamm, this service is engaged in awakening civic activity among young people and explains that participation in social, humanitarian, social, political and other processes can be exciting, useful, and contribute to improving their lives along with their loved ones' lives.

Assembly Point

Sergey Klamm believes that in order to reduce emigration and give a new impetus to the development of the region, it is necessary to focus on the local university. This is the only higher education institution in the region, where 8-9 thousand people study. Cooperation with the University of Arizona (which makes it possible to obtain a double degree) and the institution of the Higher School of Medicine reduced the departure of applicants, but only slightly.

According to Sergey, there are still instances of corruption within the walls of the university. A graduation project, which should be prepared by a group of three students, will cost 300 thousand tenge. Coursework will cost 70 thousand tenge.

Many schoolchildren and students in Petropavlovsk try to earn extra money both during the holidays and during their studies. They earn extra money as waiters, bartenders, sellers, animators, administrators, taxi drivers (if parents let them use their car), as well as couriers, but the area's delivery service is still poorly developed.   

"As for employment after university, then, in principle, you can find a job. But the salary level in the region is the smallest in Kazakhstan. And this is also one of the reasons why ambitious, promising people tend to leave from here. There are factories in North Kazakhstan Region, but they are idle, and people there have not been paid for months."

At the last meeting with residents of North Kazakhstan, the head of the Ministry of Energy said that the gasification of the region, which his department is currently working on, will provide a significant boost to the development of energy, industry and other spheres of the national economy. 

The minister also promised to raise the issue of increasing salaries for energy sector employees. And then, perhaps, the area will come to life. When this will occur is unknown, however. In the meantime, people will have to utilize what they have and use the opportunities that are available now.

According to Sergey Klamm, one of the advantages of Petropavlovsk is the opportunity to engage in various sports for free – football, basketball, tennis, fencing, dancing, and other sports. This is actively developing in the city.  

What The Statistics Say

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the population of the North Kazakhstan Region as of May 1, 2023, amounted to 533.2 thousand people, including 259.1 thousand people (48.6%) – urban, 274.1 thousand people (51.4%) – rural residents.

The consumer price index in May 2023 compared to December 2022 amounted to 105.1%. Prices for food products increased by almost 6%, non–food products - almost 5%, paid services for the population - 4.4%.

The average per capita nominal monetary income, according to estimates in the IV quarter of 2022, amounted to 150,674 tenge. Compared to the same period in 2021, monetary incomes increased by 17.9% in nominal terms and decreased by 1.4% in real terms.

The number of unemployed in the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 13,900 thousand people. The unemployment rate was 4.9% of the workforce. The number of persons registered with the employment authorities as unemployed at the end of May 2023 amounted to 5,986 people or 2.1% of the workforce.

The average monthly nominal salary issued to employees (excluding small enterprises engaged in entrepreneurial activities) in the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 241,102 tenge, an increase of 18.5% by the first quarter of 2022. The real wage index in the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 98.1%.

Original Author: Danil Utyupin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. Please refer to the original piece in Russian for accuracy.