UNT 2024: more than 7 thousand applicants passed testing over 4 days
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The Unified National Testing has started in the country. How is the main exam for graduates held this year, including in the regions affected by floods? This issue was considered at the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, primeminister.kz reports.
As reported by the Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, the main UNT is held in 43 regional testing centres for 47 days. Involved 5.2 thousand computers in one stream. From 16 May in 14 regions began holding UNT, which will continue until 5 July.
In 6 regions, where the emergency was declared Akmola, Aktobe, Atyrau, Kostanay regions, West Kazakhstan region, North Kazakhstan region will be held from 25 May to 12 July, while the reception of applications for these regions is also extended until 20 May.
According to the results of 4 days in 29 points more than 7 thousand applicants were tested. The number of school leavers in 2024 is 188 245 people. The number of submitted applications is 330,116 taking into account two attempts, of which 293,186 are current year school leavers, including 59,799 applications from graduates from 6 regions affected by floods.
Test takers apply online at the website of the National Testing Centre app.testcenter.kz and choose the date, time and testing point themselves. To control compliance with the rules of the UNT and academic integrity, a corresponding order has been approved.
In order to support school leavers from 6 regions affected by floods, measures are being taken to allocate grants in the form of a quota of 20 per cent (or 12,528 grants) of the total volume of the state educational order, which will ensure their full coverage and allow them to participate in the competition in all areas of training.
Free online lessons for school leavers have been organised jointly with the country's educational centres. During the period of preparation for the UNT, more than 200 lessons were held in all its subjects.
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Mayor Dossayev reported to President on social and economic development of Almaty
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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Mayor of Almaty city Yerbolat Dossayev, Kazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
During the meeting, Dossayev made a report on the preliminary outcomes of the social and economic development of Almaty in January-April 2024. So, the key sectors of the city’s economy demonstrated high growth rates, including the volume of services in transport increasing by 17.5%, in construction by 5.7% and communication by 4.4%. Private investments worth 360 billion tenge, a 5.8% rise, were attracted to the city’s economy.
The mayor also briefed the President that the annual inflation slowed down to 9.1% in April. 19.5 thousand jobs have been created since the beginning of the year, leading to the unemployment rate declining to 4.7%.
In February 2024, construction of a backup water supply scheme for the upper part of the city begun, which is set to be completed by July 1 this year. A pure water storage tank ‘Balkhash’ to supply water to Yubileiniy, Kamenskoye plato and other micro-districts was commissioned. Information was presented on the realization of a pool of projects within the establishment of the transport framework of Almaty city.
The Head of State instructed to continue the work to attract investments as part of the diversification of Almaty city’s economy, ensuring price stability and further reduction of inflation. The importance of keeping the situation with water supply of the city was special control was noted.
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"Taldykorgan - Ust-Kamenogorsk" road modernization to be completed in late 2024
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The QazAvtoJol company is currently engaged in the reconstruction of the "Taldykorgan-Ust-Kamenogorsk" highway, which has a total length of 768 km. Of these, 58 km fall within the I-b category, while 710 km are classified as II category. 748 km of new asphalt-concrete pavement has been laid, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The reconstructed section of the "Taldykorgan-Ust-Kamenogorsk" highway encompasses three regions: Zhetysu, Abai, and East Kazakhstan. The project entails the construction of 81 bridges and overpasses, in addition to the installation of 521 culverts. Furthermore, the scheme includes the construction of rest areas with sanitary and hygienic units.
In 2023, safe passage from Taldykorgan to the Abai region’s border, as well as from Karakol village to Ayagoz and Ust-Kamenogorsk, was provided. According to the results of 2023, 87.3 km of bypass roads out of 90 km were excluded, and 127 km of the bottom layer of pavement was laid.
Since the beginning of 2024, more than 35 km of asphalt concrete pavement or 45 thousand tons of asphalt concrete have been laid. Twelve asphalt concrete plants with a capacity of more than 2.4 thousand tons per hour and nine crushing and screening plants with a capacity of 2.3 thousand tons per hour have been mobilized. Approximately 861 units of equipment and 1312 people were involved.
It is anticipated that the construction work will be completed by the end of 2024, thus ensuring the safety and comfort of road users along the main road.
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Kazakh Head of State urges greater scientific work on forecasting natural disasters
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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for greater scientific work on monitoring, evaluation and forecasting natural disasters as well as protection and rational use of natural resources, Kazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
Greater use of advanced technologies for increasing the standard of life in all settlements is necessary. Our cities and event villages need to become ‘smart’, which is one of the priority tasks of the Government and local administrations. None of regional governors take this work seriously. Hence, no results are produced. Alatau City that is currently under construction in Almaty region should become an example of a ‘smart city’… It should become the leading international business hub, comfortable for life and running business. The project is to give a serious impetus to the development of Kazakhstan, said Tokayev during his meeting with scholars in Almaty.
As the Head of State stated, one of the important tasks domestic science is facing is to forecast and prevent natural and man-made disasters.
Over the past few years, our country has faced serious challenges, including floods, earthquakes, energy disruptions, droughts and epidemics. The massive floods have affected tens of thousands of families. Many people lost their properties; the colossal damage was done to the economy. Around 120 thousand people, including 45 thousand children, were rescued and evacuated during the floods, said the Kazakh President.
According to Tokayev, of particular relevance is the issue of ensuring qualified personnel in the water sector. As the President said, Kazakhstan’s initiative to open the Project Office for Central Asia on Climate Change and Green Energy in Almaty could greatly contribute to this cause.
For our region, the issue of growing water shortage is especially urgent. Therefore, we need to establish systemic scientific work to conserve and use rationally water resources, boost management in the sector, said Tokayev.
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Fate of nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan to be decided at nationwide referendum - President
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The final decision on the fate of the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will be made at the nationwide referendum, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a May 31 meeting with intellectual circles in Almaty, Kazinform News Agency reports referring the Akorda press service.
Kazakhstan, according to the Head of State, has embarked on the path towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. However, in order to make that happen, Kazakhstan needs to go through a complex process of in-depth transformation of its economy associated with serious challenges.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that in the foreseeable future, our country may face a significant electricity deficit. According to some forecasts, without decisive measures, the shortage of power capacity could reach six gigawatts by 2030. This could lead to a substantial slowdown in the pace of our economy’s growth and a systemic crisis in the housing and utilities sector, negatively impacting people’s lives," emphasized the President.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that nuclear energy, actively advocated for by representatives of the energy sector, could be one of the solutions to the problem.
He went on to stress that Kazakhstan holds the first place in the world in terms of the volume of naturally mined uranium.
We have our own production of nuclear fuel components. This significant competitive advantage should be utilized," Tokayev noted. "However, this matter requires broad public discussions and detailed deliberations within the professional community, free from populism and noise. I hope that the scientific community actively participates and provides its weighty input, based on principles of objectivity and pragmatism. The final decision regarding the development of nuclear energy will be made by the people at a nationwide referendum."
According to the Kazakh leader, in the context of rapid development of renewable energy sources, utmost attention should be paid to comprehensive economic diversification.
Kazakhstan, in his words, has tremendous potential in the production of green hydrogen, and breakthrough projects in this field are already underway.
It is essential to establish the production of high-value-added products in the petrochemical industry, including both traditional plastics and new materials. The development of a green economy will drive demand for rare and rare-earth metals, which are crucial for battery production. For instance, experts estimate that to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century Europe will require 35 times more lithium, compared to current level of consumption. Fortunately, we possess significant reserves of lithium and many other metals. We must expand geological exploration efforts and adopt the best global practices in this sector," he said.
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Kazakh President visits new terminal at Almaty International Airport
As part of his working visit to Almaty, the Head of State visited the new international terminal at the Almaty Airport, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The President surveyed the registration, border, customs control, and baggage pick-up areas.
Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, the President of the "Almaty International Airport" JSC, said the terminal is supposed to withstand a magnitude 10 earthquake. The terminal covers 53,500 square meters with a capacity of 14 million passengers a year.
The Almaty International Airport is the largest gateway of Kazakhstan. The tourist flow to Almaty grows year after year. Over 2 million travelers visited the megapolis in 2023, the Head of State said.
The President thanked TAV GROUP for the terminal construction in conformity with international standards and the EBRD, International Financial Corporation, and EDB as they have teamed up to support such an important social project in Almaty.
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Kazakhstan builds greenhouse set to become the largest in the world
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Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov discussed with CEO of Agro-Industrial Holding Company ECO-Culture Alexander Rudakov cooperation in the field of agriculture. On the agenda - joint projects to ensure agro-food security, primeminister.kz reports.
It should be noted that ECO-culture is one of the largest agro-industrial holdings for the production of environmentally friendly indoor vegetables, which has a 13-year history of stable development. For a year the volume of products produced by it exceeds the indicators of 300 thousand tonnes. In turn, the investment climate created in Kazakhstan and measures to support real production contribute to the implementation of projects important for the economy in the country.
The holding is building a greenhouse complex in Keles district of Turkestan region. Today the first stage of the greenhouse is being implemented on the territory of 51 hectares of land with the production volume of more than 28 thousand tonnes of tomatoes per year.
The participants of the meeting discussed a project to expand the area of the greenhouse complex to cover 500 hectares of land. This will allow to grow over 240 thousand tonnes of vegetables all year round. The produce will be supplied both to the domestic market and exported abroad through the already established channels of logistics and distribution centres.
The first stage of the project is planned to be put into operation by the end of next year.
According to Alexander Rudakov, this greenhouse will be the largest in the world. It is envisaged to create 7 thousand jobs. ECO-Culture holding will create competitive working conditions for local residents, as well as make a contribution to the development of the region within the framework of social responsibility.
Head of the Government noted the importance of the development of the agro-industrial complex.
Food security, providing our residents with high-quality and inexpensive products is the main priority of the Government. Given the growing demographics, the need for food around the world is steadily increasing. We have every opportunity to provide our market and export products. Today we set ourselves the goal - to bring the agricultural sector to a new level, fully covering domestic demand and continuing to increase exports. In this direction, we are interested in attracting investors and are ready to support the implementation of large-scale projects," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised.
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Olzhas Bektenov gets acquainted with industrial and transport and logistics potential of Almaty region
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Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov familiarised himself with the transport, logistics and industrial potential of Almaty region, primeminister.kz reports.
Visited a number of facilities functioning to ensure economic growth through the establishment of domestic production. The goal is import substitution and export-orientation.
In particular, the pace of construction of a new transport and logistics centre Zhetygen and industrial and logistics hub G-TRANS Service, as well as the expansion of existing industrial zones Kairat and Damu were checked.
During the inspection of logistics centres, Prime Minister stressed the relevance of the development of transport infrastructure and logistics and gave a number of instructions to connect the missing communications for the successful implementation of projects. This work should be completed within the framework of the programme ‘Business Roadmap’. The importance of creating the necessary conditions for the development of industry was noted.
The Head of State in his Address outlined the strategic importance of realising transport and logistics potential. We need to use this serious advantage, which opens up broad prospects. We are interested in new projects that will have a favourable impact on trade and the economy as a whole. Now we are solving infrastructure issues, creating the right conditions and communications for business. At the same time, the enterprises themselves can direct the saved funds to improve the quality of products and further expansion, creating new jobs," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised.
For example, the construction of Central Asia's first major industrial and logistics hub in the village of Zhetygen, with a capacity of up to 500,000 containers per year and a total cargo turnover of up to 5 million tonnes, will create 3,500 jobs. The project is designed to increase cargo traffic with the countries of Central Asia and China due to the unique location of the facility near the border with China.
In addition, Prime Minister familiarised himself with the work of companies operating on the territory of industrial zones. Olzhas Bektenov inspected the technological process for the production of reinforced concrete products ‘Bent’, building materials TechnoNicol - Central Asia, Shin-Line ice cream.
A new investment project on creation of the largest in the CIS high-tech automated poultry meat production plant was also presented. The project is oriented towards ensuring the country's food security and exports. When the plant reaches full capacity, its output will reach 240,000 tonnes of poultry meat per year and the number of employees will reach 6,000. The poultry farm will be the largest in the EAEU and will fully cover the country's demand for poultry meat, which will ensure Kazakhstan's independence from imports.
Prime Minister visited the fishing industry complex. The enterprise grows sea fish for further sale in domestic and foreign markets. Currently, the production capacity is 1 thousand tonnes with the prospect of increasing to 10 thousand tonnes.
Food security is the number one issue. We have to provide ourselves for the main groups of food," Olzhas Bektenov emphasised and noted that the Government will continue measures to support the industrial sector.
For reference: The total volume of industrial production in Almaty region for the first 4 months of 2024 increased by 3.2% compared to the same period last year and reached 573.6 billion tenge.
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