Kazakhstan Today interview with Takir Balykbayev

Astana. February 11. Kazakhstan Today - For the third time, from June 10 till June 15, Kazakhstan will hold common national testing (CNT) - the examination, combining state final certification of graduates of high schools and colleges’ admission examinations. Director of the National center of state standards of education and testing Takir Balykbayev talked about the principles and features of the forthcoming testing in the interview with Kazakhstan Today correspondent.

T. Balykbaev: Students application forms for participation in testing will be accepted from March 1 till April 30. This year, more than 200 thousand students finish 11-th grade. Basically, all of them are potential candidates for taking common national testing.
Last year about 183 thousand persons participated in the testing, - 81 % off the general number of graduates. This year the number will likely to be a bit higher. The quantity of CNT participants grows, and this time, I think, it will reach 83-85 %. First of all, due to a better understanding of the fact that it is better to take the examination once, receive high grades and apply for higher education institutions or vocational schools.

Kazakhstan Today: Where do the students have to submit their application forms?

T. Balykbaev: Each student is to fill out a special application form at their schools. All application forms are to be delivered to CNT station and are registered in our database. 154 stations will operate this year, that is twenty times as many than last year. They are equipped with all necessary materials at the expense of the state budget. Two additional stations will be opened in Аktobe and Taraz, the others - in the regional centers. New station open where there are problems of reaching the destination of CNT.

Kazakhstan Today: As it is known, testing is optional. What can the students not wishing to take the test expect?

T. Balykbaev: They can take usual final examinations.

Kazakhstan Today: Who can be exempted from the test?

T. Balykbaev: Some categories of students. First, participants of the international Olympiads in general educational subjects. But as well as all the other students, for reception of the state educational grant in high school it is necessary to have the certificate of CNT participant or complex testing. Therefore, last year, considering the students’ achievements in the international Olympiads and progress at school, special commission of the Ministry of Education and Science issued those students such certificates. Now a similar practice is planned to be adopted by legislature.The corresponding amendment to the law of Kazakhstan "On education " is already on the agenda of Majilis deputies. I think, the members of parliament will adopt it, and it will be in operation for school graduates 2006.

Secondly, the students with Uzbek, Tadjik, Uigur languages of study are exempted from the test.They are to take final examinations, and after receiving school certificate, interested persons can enter higher education institutions after taking complex testing. The same order is established for the students of musical schools.

Kazakhstan Today: There have been rigid criticisms and censures regarding test tasks. Did you check those tasks this year?

T. Balykbaev: This work is conducted annually. Now in Almaty, Pavlodar and other cities of the Republic there is an examination of test tasks in all subjects, they are being reconsidered. Besides this, we regularly update the tasks. School teachers and high schools instructors who are engaged in this. Their candidatures have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Sciences. They are the leading experts having wide work experience and deep knowledge in testing and evaluation.

Kazakhstan Today: Can we expect the simplification of testing procedure after this examination?

T. Balykbaev: I do not think, it is a very complex procedure. It already simplified enough, that, basically, the students even do not have to actually write the answers. It is enough to specify the correct variant. Moreover, they are given similar tasks during academic years and not once. The students are well enough familiar with this procedure. Therefore, I do not see the necessity for any simplification.
This year, the test will includ four subjects. Required - mathematics, The Kazakh (Russian) language and history of Kazakhstan. The fourth discipline – can be selected by the students.

Next year, our graduates will have to take six subjects during CNT. Three disciplines are supposed to be required - history of Kazakhstan, mathematics and the native language. The others – by the students’ choice, depending on the specialities in humanitarian and natural sciences.

Kazakhstan Today: Will the duration of the test remain the same as last year?

T. Balykbaev: It will take, as usual, three hours during which the students are expected to do 120 tasks. The test results will be announced the same day. In case of disagreement with the result, tasks’ content or testing procedure, the students can appeal against it. Therefore, the appeal commissions will be organized, and the Ministry of Education commission will be in charge of the coordination of its work.

Kazakhstan Today: Do you expect the students will demonstrate higher results?

T. Balykbaev: The first years of introduction of testing, growth of results - an objective parameter as there exist the system of purposeful preparation for it.
The grade difference between the graduates of previous and last years was quite essential,
Because last year the students started to prepare for testing since September 1.
I believe this year the students will be prepared even better.

Kazakhstan Today: How much will it require to cover CNT organization expenses?

T. Balykbaev: To cover the expenses of three large events - CNT, the intermediate state control over students of the second and third year of medical high schools (they are to
take centralized testing. Those who failed the test will have to repeat the course that has been practiced since 2004. To cover expenses to conduct testing of 4 and 9 grade students the republican budget allocated 570 million KZT.