Aktau Parents Complain About Torn Textbooks Issued to Schoolchildren

In Aktau, parents of students at one school are raising the alarm: their children were issued textbooks in unusable condition from the school library, reports infohub.kz.

As NUR.KZ reports citing Lada.kz, a video filmed by parents was published on the publication's YouTube channel. Residents claim that torn textbooks were distributed to their children in the school library. "We went to the fifth grade, and we were given textbooks in terrible condition. Of the 13 books, only two are more or less intact. The remaining 11 textbooks are just a nightmare. Pages are half torn out, falling out in blocks, it's physically impossible to study from them," said a resident of Aktau.

The situation was commented on by the education department of the Aktau city administration. The department explained that the period of use of textbooks in secondary schools is established in accordance with current legislation. When educational programs change, textbooks for certain grades are gradually updated in accordance with new requirements.

"Currently, textbooks in educational organizations are being updated in stages in accordance with the established procedure. The condition of textbooks and their timely provision to students are under the control of the school administration. Textbooks for 5th grade were published in 2017. Since 2018, additional purchases of missing textbooks have been made in accordance with the number of students. In addition, since 2019, in order to update the textbook fund, purchases have been made in the amount of 20% of the number of previously purchased textbooks for relevant subjects," the department explained.

The education department also added that unusable or damaged textbooks are subject to write-off in accordance with the established procedure and replacement with new ones. "Until new textbooks arrive, if possible, existing books will be restored and brought into proper condition. Parents who have questions about the physical condition of specific textbooks can contact the school administration," the education department stated.