Minister blames underfunding for lack of textbooks in Kazakhstan

According to Minister Sarinzhipov, it is cheaper to print the textbooks in Turkey and China. "The textbooks are developed by publishing houses in Kazakhstan and printed abroad. The ministry has nothing to do with process of price formation, since it's a private sector," he said. The minister also admitted that ‘there is lack of textbooks in Kazakhstan due to underfunding'. "The sum that has been allotted for the purchase of textbooks this year is not enough, we need at least 2.3 billion tenge more to provide all students with textbooks," he noted. Minister Sarinzhipov also added that new textbooks will be tested at primary schools across Kazakhstan this September. "We've chosen 30 schools in all regions of Kazakhstan to test pilot textbooks," he told MPs.