Kazakh language to be made mandatory for civil servants

The draft of the new concept for the development of language policy was published by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.The main working language of the civil service will be the Kazakh language, according to the draft of a new concept for the development of language policy, which was developed by the Ministry of Education and Science. The project is posted on the open RLA portal for public discussion until April 25, 2023. During the implementation of the concept, requirements will be developed that oblige civil servants to speak the Kazakh language," the document says. The draft emphasizes that in accordance with the requirements of modern society, a civil servant should be fluent in the state language. Article 9 of the Languages Act states: "Acts of State bodies shall be drawn up and adopted in the State language, and if necessary they may be drafted in Russian language, with translation into other languages if possible"." This legal norm should be implemented in full," the concept says. The developers stressed that they would consider the inclusion of the criterion for the development of documents in the state language in the rating of the calculation of the assessment of the effectiveness of civil servants. This will also contribute to an increase in the share of document circulation in the state language. They also recalled that during the reporting meetings of the heads of state bodies with the population, especially when visiting remote settlements, and when making reports on dialogue platforms, priority is given to the state language. This will also stimulate the use of the state language by civil servants in the process of work," the developers said. Currently, civil servants are not required to undergo testing through the Kaztest system when entering the service. This issue must be resolved by making appropriate changes to the current regulatory legal acts," the draft says. Earlier it was reported that from the new academic year in Kazakhstan will introduce an annual exam in the Kazakh language. The exam is introduced for students of the 5th-8th and 10th grades of secondary school, as well as in organizations of technical, vocational and post-secondary education.