New programme to promote Kazakh language – slowly but surely?

The government aims to increase the share of citizens fluent in the Kazakh language by a modest 3 percentage points by 2029, to 84 percent from the current 81, according to the new official language programme. 

The programme, signed on 20 October, outlines planned government measures for 2023-2029 “to promote supremacy of the state language and expand its use in all spheres of life”. 

The programme sets the goal of increasing the share of Kazakh-speaking state employees to 50 percent, from the current 35 percent. It adds that the government will also be introducing requirements that will oblige all civil servants to speak Kazakh. However, it does not give a timeline for that. 

Among other targets is to switch 94 percent of paperwork at government bodies and national companies to Kazakh.  

Also, under the programme, the share of Kazakh-language TV content is aimed to be increased to 84 percent.  

Separately, under a new media law proposed by the government, the required amount of Kazakh-language content for TV and radio broadcasters will increase from the current 50 to 70 percent. The transition will be gradual — by 5 percent annually, from 2025. 

According to officials, Kazakh-language media content already amounts to more than 80 percent of all media content, including print and online. 

The new language programme also outlines plans to open Kazakh language courses and introduce changes to how Kazakh is taught at secondary schools and universities. 

Under the government’s previous language programme, the share of Kazakh speakers was planned to reach 93 percent by 2023 and 95 percent by 2025. 

Expansion of the usage of the Kazakh language and phasing out of the Russian language, which is still widely used, especially by the government, is one of the most sensitive issues in the country. 

The government has taken a cautious approach to the issue to avoid tensions with Russia. The approach is strongly criticised by Kazakh language activists.  

Responding to Kazakhstan joining the Russian-proposed creation of an International Organisation for Protecting the Russian language earlier this month, independent journalist Zhalgas Yertay said that the government should “first of all think about protecting the state language”. 

“It is ridiculous that the state language is left to its own devices, and we are just watching what happens to it,” he said in a Facebook post on 17 October.  

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