On December 25, a member of Mazhilis Kairat Balabiyev raised the problem of affordability of higher education in Kazakhstan, Zakon.kz reports. According to him, high tuition costs at universities erode the welfare of students and their families.
According to publicly available data, a significant portion of applicants have to study on a fee-paying basis. The tuition fee reaches 1 million tenge at Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and 9 million tenge at Nazarbayev University.
Balabiyev noted that contracts with universities include the provisions on tuition indexation to adjust for the effects of inflation, which, in his opinion, infringes on the consumer rights. In some universities, it costs students up to 1 million tenge per year to live in a dormitory. This increases the financial burden, particularly of senior students.
«At this time, it would be good if his parents’ salaries grow! But we do not see anything like that. This is social injustice,» Kairat Balabiyev said.
The member of Mazhilis called on the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to tighten control over prices and improve conditions in dormitories, noting that this situation has a negative impact on the welfare of citizens.
