WEEKLY REVIEW: Kazakhstan to introduce new standard of education

On Monday, July 7, chairperson of the Entrepreneurship Development Committee under the Ministry of Regional Development Galiya Dzholdybayeva delivered a report at the supra-regional business forum on development of competitive small and medium business in the conditions of the Eurasian Economic Union. In her words, it is crucial to study prospects of the implementation of the Business Roadmap and the Single-Industry Cities Development Program in the conditions of the EEU. On Tuesday, July 8, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov chaired a session dedicated to transition to a 12-year education system in the city of Kostanay. Kazakhstan's Education Minister Aslan Sarinzhipov was in attendance. Minister Sarinzhipov announced that as a result of years-long experiments a new standard of education had been developed. It is chiefly based on the Nazarbayev Intellectual schools' experience. The new standard of education is set to be introduced at 30 schools across Kazakhstan next year. It will be used countrywide starting from 2016.

On Wednesday, July 9, Kazakhstan and Thailand signed the memorandum of cooperation in the sphere of civil service. Mr. Visoot Prasitsiriwongse, Deputy Secretary General of the Office of the Civil Service Commission of Thailand, and Ali Komekbayev, deputy chairman of the Kazakh Agency for Civil Service Affairs, inked the document that envisages training programs for civil servants of the two countries. Head of the Thai delegation praised reforms conducted by Kazakhstan in the sphere of public administration and expressed keen interest in studying Kazakhstan's experience in Corps A formation. On Thursday, July 10, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev received Prime Minister Karim Massimov and Chairman of the National Bank Kairat Kelimbetov in Almaty. Prime Minister Karim Massimov reported to the Head of State on major results of Kazakhstan's economic development over the first half of 2014 and work agenda of the Government for the second half of the year. Mr. Kelimbetov briefed the Kazakh President on current situation in the national financial sector and banking system as well as monetary policy pursued by the National Bank. According to him, real GDP growth totaled 3.8% in the first quarter of 2014. Goods export increased by 10.8% reaching $22.7 billion, compared to the first quarter of 2013. As for import, it decreased by 14.6% accounting for $8.7 billion. The same day the first deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Rapil Zhoshybayev announced ministry's plans to introduce a visa-free entry for more countries. Kazakhstan already granted visa-free entry to 10 countries that had demonstrated high investment activity in the country in the past - the U.S, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the UAE, South Korea and Japan within the framework of a pilot project. On Friday, July 11, Defense Minister Serik Akhmetov paid a working visit to the Aktau military garrison. During the visit, Minister Akhmetov inspected a 3,000 sq.m.-new building of the air base that had been commissioned recently. Together with governor of the Mangystau region Alik Aidarbayev, Akhmetov visited a construction site of the ammunition storage facility. He then met with a marine bridge stationed at the Aktau garrison. The only marine brigade in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan ensures security in the region. Minister Akhmetov also paid utmost attention to social problems of military men, construction of housing and further improvement of their living conditions.