Session VI of the National Council

The Head of State took part in the 6th session of the National Council of Public Trust

During the event, which was held online, participants discussed the progress of implementation of the President's instructions given earlier within the framework of the National Council, and also considered the proposals of members of the NCPT on social, socio-economic and regional development.

The Head of State noted that the 30th anniversary of Independence is an important milestone in the annals of our country.

According to the Head of State, all changes must first and foremost be aimed at improving the quality of life of our citizens. The President said that it is necessary to implement only those solutions that are aimed at strengthening and increasing the capacity of our statehood.

"In the two years of its existence, the NCPT has contributed to the implementation of many good initiatives. Scholarships for future teachers and doctors and doctoral students have been increased. The salaries of university teachers have been increased. A sanitary and epidemiological control committee was established. New rules governing the upbringing of children in need of special care have been approved. The subsidies to citizens who moved from the south to the north were doubled. The basic tax rate for land plots that are not used for their intended purpose was increased. It is forbidden to sell or lease agricultural land to foreign citizens and legal entities," said the President.

The Head of State reminded that since this year Kazakhstanis have been given the opportunity to receive part of their pension savings early to buy real estate, repay mortgage loans and for medical treatment. Thanks to this measure, more than half a million of our citizens used the pension savings for their needs. Furthermore, a number of decisions were made to support socially vulnerable segments of the population.

"For the first time this year, educational grants were awarded to children from large and single-parent families and children with disabilities. As a result, more than 5,000 teenagers had the opportunity to study for free. Funding for education of children with special needs has doubled. Now KZT 730 thou. will be allocated per child," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The President noted that four reform packages aimed at further democratization of the country were formed with the direct participation of the NCPT members.

"There are more opportunities for women and young people to realize their potential. But we go further. To further build an inclusive society, I also proposed expanding the list of quota categories in party electoral lists to include people with special needs," the Head of State announced.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the introduction of direct election of akims of cities of district significance, villages, settlements and rural districts was a significant step towards democratization of our society. This year, more than 800 rural akims were elected in the country. As a result, their composition was renewed by half.

At the same time, the Head of State spoke in favor of improving the institution of akims electivity. The President supported the proposal put forward by the members of the NCPT to establish a standard allowing citizens with specialized secondary education to be nominated for the position of akims of villages. Such an innovation will increase the competitiveness of elections at the local level. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also believes that it is possible to increase the period of the campaign and to apply a differentiated approach to the financing of election campaigns. The Presidential Administration has been instructed to study these initiatives in detail.

The President considers security at schools, colleges, and universities a priority.

"Now educational institutions sign a contract with a security agency for a year. As a rule, this is done at the beginning of the year, i.e., in the middle of the school year. It is better to conclude such contracts for a longer period, for example, three years. For this purpose it is necessary to make amendments to the legislation," believes the Head of State.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev specifically referred to the ongoing problem of the lack of places in schools. The head of state emphasized that in his recent Address he instructed to build 1,000 schools by the end of 2025.

"When building residential neighborhoods, along with housing, schools and kindergartens must necessarily be built. I instruct the Government to strictly monitor compliance with this requirement," the President said.

The Head of State also touched on the issue of educational grants.

"Funding must be provided directly to the grantee, meaning the students themselves shall pay the tuition. This means that the money must go into a special student account, which can only be used to pay tuition. This approach will increase competition in higher and postgraduate education. It will also ensure the transparency of the state order, will increase the quality of education and responsibility of students. The government should carefully consider options for implementing this decision," said the Head of State.

The president said that today the country continues to experience a shortage of medical personnel. There is a shortage of almost 4,000 employees in health care. There is a shortage of qualified doctors in regional centers, and especially in districts and villages. In this regard, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged local akims to actively address this issue.

The Head of State particularize on the prospects for introduction of digital technology. He noted that today there is no connection between the information bases, which still results in the need to provide paper documents.

"The simple issue is complicated by the government agencies themselves. Information systems of Akimats, the Ministry of Education and Science should be included in the base of "e-government". Then we will simplify the work of Population Service Centers and save the time of citizens," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The Head of State put forward a number of proposals to improve the collateral policy of banks and regulation of valuation activities. In September, a tragic event occurred in Almaty during a forced eviction that shook our society. The President stated that this was a crime for which there was no justification. According to him, all disputes must be resolved in strict accordance with the law in a state governed by the rule of law.

"No one is allowed to commit vigilante justice. This tragedy has exposed the need for a systemic solution to the problem of non-performance of debt obligations by borrowers, imperfection and lack of transparency in the seizure, sale and inadequate evaluation of mortgaged property by banks. Today 540 thousand of our citizens have debts overdue for more than 90 days totaling KZT 354 bln. It is necessary to take balanced measures to support borrowers without harming the financial sector," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The President emphasized that in budget planning and spending of public funds all decisions should be as effective as possible. The Head of State believes that along with this, effective budget planning and state policy in general are directly influenced by the gradation of the population according to various criteria. Therefore, the issue of developing a unified scale defining the age framework of young people is relevant.

The President's speech also noted the need to further strengthen the system of human rights protection. He reminded that in June this year he signed the Decree "On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the area of human rights", aimed at a comprehensive modernization of human rights.

"Earlier, on my initiative, our country acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. In a recent Address, I instructed to harmonize the norms of the Criminal Code with its provisions and pass a law," said the head of state.

The President has identified support for motherhood and childhood as one of the priorities of state policy. He noted that women who go on maternity leave often lose their professional skills and competencies. In addition, it is especially difficult for single parents, who have problem.organizing proper day-care for their children. Therefore, special working conditions must be created for them.

As of today, work is being done to optimize the entire criminal legislation on the instructions of the Head of State. In particular, the problems of combating crimes against the person, including in the family and domestic sphere, will be comprehensively investigated.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that transformations in our country should contribute to strengthening democratic principles, improving the well-being of citizens and implementing the concept of the "Hearing State".

"It's not for nothing that people say, 'Measure twice, cut once'. As a rule, the right decision is always the result of comprehensive discussion. But at the same time, actions that are detrimental to society in the name of democracy are unacceptable. This should be taken into account. We must be open to pluralism and free from radicalism. This is the main principle of our policy," the President said.

The Head of State raised another important issue. He emphasized that the task of creating a new way of life for the nation is always in the focus of his close attention.

Concluding his speech, the President stressed that independence is the most important value for all Kazakhstanis, it must be defended not by loud slogans, but by wisdom, knowledge, agreement, unity, and this will be the key to the successful implementation of our reforms.

During the meeting, members of the NCPT Zhemis Turmagambetova, Kaisar Tursynkozha, Tattygul Talayeva, Alexander Danilov, and Uais Yersaiynuly also spoke.