An additional 7 billion KGS will be allocated for textbooks — Alagozov

President Sadyr Zhaparov has decided to allocate an additional 7 billion KGS to completely eliminate the shortage of textbooks in schools. This was announced by the President’s press secretary, Askat Alagozov.

According to him, over the past two years, more than 1.3 billion KGS have already been allocated for the printing of textbooks, and over 9.6 million copies have been produced. However, there remains a shortage of textbooks in schools. The additional funding should ensure that schools’ needs for textbooks are fully met.

Alagozov noted that, given the insufficient capacity of the ‘Uchkun’ printing works, other enterprises meeting the established requirements must be brought in to handle the printing.

“Clear answers must be provided to every question – how many textbooks have been printed, who has accepted them, where they have been sent, how many have been delivered to each school, and how textbooks intended for schools ended up on the market,” he wrote.

The statement came against a backdrop of reports of textbooks marked ‘Not for sale’ being sold in markets. The Ministry of Education confirmed that textbooks intended for state schools were being sold in shops and online.

On 16 September, on the instructions of the Prime Minister, Adylbek Kasymaliev, the Ministry of the Interior, the State Committee for National Security and the Ministry of Education launched an investigation into how the textbooks came to be available for general sale. Alagozov emphasised that the entire supply chain must be traced – from printing and acceptance to delivery to specific schools. Those responsible, he said, must be held to account.

He also demanded that the Ministry of Education publish data for each school on the number of textbooks received and those missing, as well as information on the dates of their printing and delivery. Following the allocation of an additional 7 billion KGS, a lack of funding should no longer be used as an excuse for the problem – those in charge are now required to deliver results.