Baykonur schools to start teaching Kazakh language, history

Schools in Baykonur, Kazakhstan’s space town administered by Russia, will begin to teach the Kazakh language, literature and history, officials said.

Also, the official Khabar 24 news channel reported, Kazakh-language signs are appearing in the town and some streets have been given names of historical Kazakh figures.

Russia has been leasing the Soviet-built Baykonur space site from Kazakhstan since the Soviet collapse. As part of the agreement, the town of Baykonur has been run by Russia, and its residents use the Russian rouble.

The news about Baykonur’s ‘Kazakhisation’ comes amid uncertainty about the future of Russia’s space programme as it faces international isolation and economic sanctions over its war on Ukraine. The sanctions are affecting imports of critical electronic components needed in spacecraft building.

The Khabar report said that out of the town’s 12 secondary schools, seven use the national Russian curriculum and the remaining five teach according to Kazakh education standards.

Now, Kazakhstan and Russia have reached an agreement that all Baykonur schools will teach Kazakh history, language and literature.  

Jadyra Aldanova, head of the Baykonur education department, said that Kazakh classes have already been introduced at one Russian school, and the same is planned at the remaining schools.  

However, according to Kayrat Nurtay, the Kazakh president’s special representative in Baykonur, Kazakh language, literature and history will be voluntary.

“We shall poll the children at all the schools. The subjects will be taught to those who express the desire to study them,” he said.

He added that the subjects would help Baykonur children to continue their education at Kazakh universities.  

The Khabar 24 report added that there were other changes in Baykonur like the appearance of signs, advertising and other public information in the Kazakh language on the town’s streets.

“For the first time in the past 30 years, streets in the town have been named after Kazakh poets and war heroes,” the report also said.

“They remind us of our great historical figures and our compatriots’ feats. We are very happy with this novelty,” Baykonur resident Aigerim Baltabay said.

Also, under the new agreements, Baykonur residents will be able to celebrate Kazakhstan’s national holidays, the report added.

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