GOVERNMENT: Kazakhstan enhances public control over governmental agencies’ work

The new governmental program of education and science development aims at providing access to quality education for all Kazakhstani people.

Kazakhstan enhances control over the activities of the governmental structures.

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This week, Astana hosted the 15^th session of the Republic of Kazakhstan – European Union Cooperation Committee. The Kazakh side was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko and the delegation of the European Union was led by Head of the Central Asia Division of the European External Action Service Toivo Klaar.

The meeting discussed the relevant issues of trade and mutual investments, development of energy and transport, environmental protection and regional cooperation. The parties touched upon also the joint efforts in countering new threats and ensuring human rights. Besides, the implementation of the updated EU Strategy for Central Asia and the outcomes of the EU-CA Conference in Astana held in last December were discussed too.

The sides considered also the prospects of implementation of the Kazakhstan-EU Extended Partnership Agreement signed at the end of 2015. It was noted that implementation of this historical document will mark a new stage in bilateral cooperation and will enable the countries to significantly expand the horizons of interaction and will open new opportunities for cooperation in all sectors representing mutual interest.

According Vassilenko, the meeting touched upon the agreements on strengthening interaction in economy, investments, energy, environmental protection, transport, new technologies and in bilateral trade spheres. Particular attention was given to simplification of visa regime by EU for the residents of Kazakhstan as well as attaching market economy status to Kazakhstan.

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As the Ministry of Finances informed, more than 69 real estate facilities have been legalised in Kazakhstan to date. The amount of legalised cash, bonds and property totals as much as 871 bln tenge.

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Minister of Education Erlan Sagadiyev made an official statement this week He told about adoption of the 2016-2019 Governmental Program of Education and Science Development. The Ministry plans to elaborate a stage-by-stage mechanism of implementation of the program by the end of March. The aim of the document is to create a platform which lay a foundation for implementation of the Kazakh President’s Mangilik El idea.

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"The Mangilik Yel is the united nation of Kazakhstan that will be able to use the latest innovation of the world just as the situation demands. First of all, it regards education. It is necessary to ensure access of all members of the society to the high-quality education. We are still on our way to the set goals now," Y. Sagadiyev told noting that the youth who learned in schools with the Kazakh language of tuition have limited opportunities for obtaining high-quality education.

According to the Minister, the fact that young people going to schools with the Russian language of tuition do not know the Kazakh language also makes the system unequal. Therefore, the country should move forward to one common type of schools that could ensure equal three-language education. All children need to freely speak three languages, understand each other and have equal access to the world's best knowledge.

This year, the introduction of new teaching methods using three languages for teaching chemistry, physics, biology and information technologies is planned to be introduced. The methods were tested in Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and proved to be effective.

Besides, 80 specialists from Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools were selected to teach new methods to the teachers of the country online. Thanks to this Kazakhstan will have a large scale system of preparation of specialists allowing to introduce new teaching methods countrywide quite quickly using information technologies. In 2018, the natural sciences will begin to be taught in English too.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerlan Idrissov held the first sitting of the Public Council of the Ministry this week too.

"We are pioneers in some respects in this sphere and obviously we feel a special responsibility for the implementation of the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev on increasing the level of control over state bodies. I am confident that this control is an inseparable part of the efforts aimed at having well-developed, highly-technological, self-sustainable, liberal society being one of the 30 most developed world countries," the minister said opening the meeting.

The participants of the meeting agreed to have a joint work in accordance with the approved plan for 2016 and orient the work the Public Council's work at the interaction with the mass media, non-governmental organizations and the society.