The question of raising stipends under the Bolashak program will be submitted to the Republican Commission for review before the end of the year, though no final decision has yet been made. Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek announced this at a briefing at the Central Communications Service, infohub.kz reports.
The minister was asked when the Bolashak stipend would increase. "Indeed, there were plans (to raise the stipends — Ed.). When I myself served as president of Bolashak (2010–2013 — Ed.), that was the last time we raised them," the minister said.
According to him, the consumer basket in cities other than the capitals is currently low — around $2,000 per month. There is also a higher stipend of $2,200 for London, New York and major cities where the consumer basket is more expensive. "But given the price increases over the past 13–15 years, this is of course insufficient," Sayasat Nurbek said.
He added that a study on the stipend has already been conducted, and the issue will be submitted to the Republican Commission before the end of the year. "We do not yet know the decision, but at the very least this issue will definitely be submitted for collective review by the Republican Commission," the minister said.
He did not say by what percentage the stipend might be raised. "Most likely, a differentiated approach will be applied, because consumer baskets grow differently: in Europe it is one, in the US and Canada another, in Southeast Asian countries and so on. We have a common approach, but here it will most likely be differentiated based on regional coefficients," the minister said.