Open letter to educators, parents, and students from Director of UNESCO Almaty

The First of September is a very special day in Kazakhstan. Coinciding with the first day of school, it is a celebration of knowledge that involves a schoolwide assembly filled with songs, flowers, and warm reunions with teachers and classmates, the letter reads.

In Kazakhstan, schools across the country greet students with the enthusiastic lines from the timeless poem of a Kazakh educator and scholar, Ybyrai Altynsarin: «Kel, balalar, oqylyq! Come, children, let’s study!» Traditionally, a bell is rung by a first grader and an upperclassman, and the sound of the bell marks not just the beginning of a new academic year, but an important milestone in the lives of students and their families. However, 2020 is sadly different. 2020 is the first year in the history of Kazakhstan when the First of September celebration is taking place online due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis in education around the world, affecting, according to UNESCO, nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries. The nationwide closures of schools and universities have impacted over 94% of the world’s student population, including Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan school closures have affected over 16 million learners. As a safety measure against the virus, 2.6 million schoolchildren in Kazakhstan will be studying online this fall.

Since March, the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan has taken rapid response measures and moved most of the schools and universities to distance learning by deploying a mix of technologies, such as e-learning platforms and TV broadcasting.

https://www.inform.kz/en/open-letter-to-educators-parents-and-students-from-director-of-unesco-almaty_a3689608