"Every important step for the life of the country must be taken with the support of the people". This sentence from the Address of the Head of State Kassam-Jomart Tokayev to the people of Kazakhstan “Just Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism” from September 2, 2024 seems to most fully reflect his spirit and inner energy.
In the recent political history of Kazakhstan, the addresses of the head of state are traditionally awaited with interest, as they address important challenges to which the nation must respond. In President Tokaev's speech, nine such are fixed. I will take the liberty of commenting on three of them, which relate to the sphere of my competence. The first is, of course, education. It is not by chance that education as a priority is placed immediately after the four main economic challenges: elimination of imbalances between monetary and fiscal policy; improving the investment climate and conditions for doing business; systematic efforts to fully reveal the industrial potential of the country; and solving priority infrastructure projects.
I will allow myself a little digression on the infrastructure. When in 2012 I arrived with my family in Aktau, a city where I taught for two years and where some of my best friends and projects remained, the asphalt road that connected the most important settlements in the Mangistau region ended in the semi-desert steppe, literally out of nowhere. Just a dozen years later, I saw Kazakhstan cut through by new modern highways that had nothing to do with the outdated or absent infrastructure of my earliest memories.
But let's go back to Kazakhstani education, which I dare say I know well, since I have been continuously engaged in it since 2006. There is no development without education – frames, as is known, decide everything. There is no other country that, even during the most crisis years, allocated such huge funds to universities as Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, however, I witnessed how the outdated administration and the lack of motivation among students to train in technical professions largely made this huge investment meaningless. The address proposes concrete and long-needed measures – efficient spending of funds, support for local universities, ending pointless academic tourism and strengthening links between university education and real business. He needed this for a long time.
I am a big supporter of equality between universities in the competition for more funds. Based on my own experience, I can say that Kazakhstan has wonderful specialists working in the so-called local universities – in name but not in importance, and the local universities themselves are in no way inferior to those of republican importance. President Tokayev's speech gives me reason to believe that this is a step towards achieving diversity, which is long overdue in Kazakhstan.
For the first time in many years, the question of professional education is being raised. It is the basis of high-quality social and private services, the development of production and the comfort of citizens. This is probably Kazakhstan's most pressing need – and not only him, this is a topic on which the whole world is looking for optimal solutions. As for education, the president is unequivocal: “Teachers are the intellectual vanguard of the country, which lays the foundation for the nation's long-term progress. We can have the best programs, modern schools and a sophisticated management system, but nothing can be achieved without good teachers.“ It is very important that this recognition is accompanied by proposals for specific financial mechanisms to achieve it.
The second point that I will take the liberty of commenting on is that of public administration. Without effective state administration, there is no development of the nation, just enrichment of some at the expense of others, rampant corruption and incompetence. The concept of the “Hearing State” proposed 5 years ago, became the basis of a new model of behavior of civil servants – proactive and open, more responsible and efficient. However, the dialogue between the state and society must continue. This is especially important for a young civil nation such as Kazakhstan – it is not by chance that one of the previous addresses of President Tokaev was devoted to issues of national construction.
A huge step forward in establishing the society of harmony and agreement, which Kazakhstan fears to be, is the election of akims of regions and cities of regional significance. This ends an era of unnecessary paternalism which had clearly become a burden on the country. There is no doubt that the local elections will add more dynamism and cause greater participation of the population in the political life of the nation.
The last issue I will comment on is the assertion of the ideology of law and order – characteristic of any modern civilized state. No one is above the law – and artificial intelligence! I allow myself this joke, because in the speech its meaning is clearly outlined, but at the same time the warning is given that we can become victims of its illegal application and use. Yes, everyone needs digital literacy – as well as basic economic skills. President Tokaev said out loud what for a long time no one before him dared to say publicly – the increase in domestic indebtedness is a big problem for the country. In my humble opinion, it lies at the root of various conflicts in various periods of Kazakhstan's recent history.
I am confident that the efforts made by the president to turn Kazakhstan into a zone of comfortable and safe life will bear fruit. After all, political doctrines and platforms don't matter if they don't lead to better, calmer and more predictable lives for people. A prosperous and confident person is a greater patriot, and the word “motherland” it sounds better in the warmth of the home hearth, when we are not disturbed by street crime and the tyranny of corrupt officials and incompetent doctors and teachers. As far as I can tell, that's the main thrust of the president's message. And he sounds convincing, modern and grounded.
To the traditional virtues of the hospitable, cordial and hardworking Kazakh people are added the new ones – respect for the law, striving for a balanced development that places the interests of man and his growth at the center, professionalism and competence of those employed in all areas of life and the national economy. Not everything can be achieved at once. But when we have a goal, we know where to go.
Prof. Ms. Tatiana Dronzina
ANC
's Ambassador of Peace