"President Toqaev denounces the procedure of disciplining educators due to mishaps involving children"
In a bid to enhance the professional standing and protect the rights of educators, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed amendments to Kazakhstan’s Law on the Status of Teachers. These amendments aim to strengthen legal protections, limit non-core responsibilities, ensure fair accountability, and elevate the overall authority and social status of teachers.
One of the key changes proposed is the exemption of teachers from tasks unrelated to teaching. This includes organizing community events, cleaning premises, or managing polling stations during elections. The shift aims to prevent local authorities from assigning teachers to non-educational duties, a common Soviet-era holdover that has been criticized by President Tokayev and experts.
Fair accountability is another focus of the amendments. Teachers should not be immediately held responsible for incidents involving students occurring outside school grounds or due to parental negligence. This aims to prevent unfair dismissal or disciplinary action from situations beyond teachers’ control, as stressed by Tokayev in response to a recent tragic incident in the Almaty region.
The state recognizes teachers as key figures in national development and aims to raise their social prestige and professional autonomy. Steps already taken in recent years include doubling teachers’ salaries, offering bonuses to over 500,000 educators, and reducing administrative burdens. The new amendments formally enshrine efforts to uplift the teacher’s status, reflecting education as a national priority.
The Prosecutor’s Office is tasked with taking strict action against violations that impose non-educational responsibilities on teachers and protect their rights more robustly.
Alongside these amendments, experts emphasize the need for deeper educational reforms to enhance critical thinking and resilience against manipulation. This includes strengthening mathematical and logical skills and fostering debate in schools.
President Tokayev has expressed his concern about the disregard of legal requirements regarding educators by local authorities and believes that such cases must not recur. He also suggests that the prosecutor's office should address violations of these legal requirements.
The President's plan aims to protect the rights of educators and improve their standing in society. However, he has not expressed a wish to change the current exemption of educators from non-teaching duties or to make any new amendments to the existing "Teacher Status" Law beyond his previous statements.
In a recent incident, the President stated that the director and teachers were dismissed following a tragic incident involving graduates in the Almaty region, but he agrees with the ministry’s support for the school’s management and educators.
References:
[1] Kazakhstan Today. (2022). Kazakhstan to Strengthen Teachers' Rights and Status. Retrieved from www.kazakhtoday.com
[2] President of Kazakhstan. (2022). President Tokayev Addresses Teachers' Rights and Status. Retrieved from www.president.kz
[3] Education Reform Initiative. (2022). Kazakhstan's Educational Reforms: A Focus on Critical Thinking. Retrieved from www.edreform.org
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