Parents in Kazakhstan have complained about overly heavy school backpacks, but the Ministry of Education has no plans to switch entirely to electronic textbooks. The ministry responded to a query from Kursiv, as reported by infohub.kz.
The ministry explained that schools are required to schedule classes taking into account the weight of the daily set of educational materials, including textbooks, teaching aids, and writing supplies. However, the weight of the backpack itself is not included in this norm.
The Ministry noted that all textbooks for grades 1 through 11 have already been digitized and are available on publishers' websites and the ministry's official site. Local executive bodies subscribe to electronic textbooks, which are actively used in the learning process to improve the quality of education and boost student interest.
However, the introduction of electronic textbooks does not mean a complete replacement of paper ones: digital materials serve only as a supplement to traditional ones. This is due to sanitary rules that limit continuous use of gadgets and computers by students to 15–30 minutes per lesson, depending on age:
— in pre-school and first-grade classes: no more than 15 minutes;
— in grades 2–3: no more than 20 minutes;
— in grades 4–5: no more than 25 minutes;
— in grades 6–8: no more than 25 minutes;
— in grades 9–11 (12): no more than 30 minutes.
"Based on the above, paper textbooks are predominantly used in the educational process," the Ministry concluded.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that a new school in Astana will reduce the burden on four educational institutions.