NUR-SULTAN - A roundtable discussion on the role of the state language in the integration of society was held in Myrzatay Zoldassbekov Memorable Book Collection of the National Academic Library.
The main purpose of the event was to discuss the issues of the state language as the language of inter-ethnic communication.
In the Address to Kazakhstanis "Constructive Public Dialogue is the Basis of Stability and Prosperity of Kazakhstan" President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that "the role of Kazakh as the state language will be strengthened. The time will come for it to become a language of inter-ethnic communication. However, in order to achieve this status, we must work together without unnecessary talk”.
During the discussion, participants put forward a number of proposals to speed up the process of obtaining the status of Kazakh as a language of inter-ethnic communication. Language is the basis of any independent state. According to Orazkul Assangazy, advisor to the director of Sh. Shayakhmetov National Scientific and Practical Center "Til-Qazyna", “today the country has come to the important moment when the Kazakh language should receive such a status. The number of Kazakhs in the country is 70 percent of the total population.
"Kazakhstan, both since historical times and since independence, has provided every opportunity for every ethnic group living in the country to practice their religion, learn their native language and develop their culture. Today, more than half of the population was Kazakh. UN documents state that in such cases the language of the title nation should become the language of international communication.
As one European scientist noted, Kazakh is truly a diamond among all Turkic languages. If we look at the neighboring brotherly countries, everyone speaks their own language. These are Uzbeks, Turkmens, Azerbaijanis. I suggest that the status of the Kazakh language will be changed soon in the law ‘On Language’" said Orazkul Assangazy.
The speaker noted that when visiting Kazakh schools, pupils communicate with each other in Russian. "In this regard, I propose to change the method of teaching. It is necessary to have a conversation, first of all, with parents," the speaker said.
At the same time, the speaker proposed to the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan to speak at all events under the motto: "For a single language!
Also, the participants of the round table put forward the idea of promotion and popularization of Kazakh language through various ethno-cultural associations of the country through social networks and the Internet space. In addition, it was proposed to solve the language issue starting from the basics, i.e. from kindergarten.
"There are two countries in the world that have made the language of the nation a language of communication between people of different nationalities. In these countries, as in other countries of the world, knowledge of the state language is mandatory. These are Israel and Malaysia. Hebrew in Israel has become a state language due to its own religion. The indigenous population of Malaysia after independence was only 38 percent. However, they had decided not to give English the status of a state language. In this developed Asian country, those who do not know the language are not recruited into the public service. These are unprecedented cases of how the world has dealt with the language issue.
In our country, I propose to start with kindergartens, then change the curriculum of primary and secondary schools, then higher education institutions. And, of course, we must address this issue at the social and political levels," said Amirzhan Alpeissov, Chairman of Public Consent Council of APK in Nur-Sultan.
At the same time, the participants of the round table covered the issues of requirements for admission to universities. To date, students who pass the state exam have the opportunity not to pass Kazakh language. The speakers agreed that this approach is fundamentally wrong. According to them, it is necessary to make the exam in the state language compulsory. Also, branches of the Public Consent Councils were offered to work in this direction when meeting with the population, as well as to explain the principles of "Rukhani Zhangyru" program.
One of the speakers, Alla Gavrina, a presenter and journalist on "Qazaqstan" National TV Channel, shared her opinion that language skills should become "bread" for every citizen of Kazakhstan.
"I work for television. I write materials and present programs in Kazakh language. When we understand that the interviewee does not speak the state language, we try not to interview him or her. Those who can at least speak Kazakh are in demand. When I am told that learning Kazakh is difficult, I cannot believe it. As I learned it myself, I tried to communicate often in Kazakh. Kazakh is not a difficult language. It is necessary just to understand. After all, we have all the possibilities for this - representatives of all ethnic groups have the opportunity to practice the language with native speakers. We all need to know that knowledge of the state language opens up huge opportunities," Alla Gavrina said.
In addition, Anar Fazylzhanova, Deputy Director, A. Baiturssynov Institute of Linguistics, Committee of Science, Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Candidate of Philology, emphasized that Kazakh is a language of international communication since ancient times, but since some time it ceased to be such.
"During the forcible deportation of many people to Kazakhstan, all ethnic groups began to speak Kazakh in order to survive. Then it was normal and necessary. It was the first wave of migration to the country. At the time of the development of virgin lands, it was not necessary for the arrived people to learn Kazakh. Since then, such an opinion has been formed. In general, it should be noted that all people have tolerance, but as a rule, it is an isolated one. However, Kazakhs have it at the national level. This should be appreciated. I understand that now is the time of globalization. Therefore, I propose to follow the principles of globalization with the paramount importance of state values. Many people think that there are few successful Kazakh-speaking citizens in modern spheres. However, this is not the case. A lot of Kazakh-speaking workers work in the IT sphere. There are also many Kazakh-speaking millionaires. All this is becoming real. And this fact should not be ignored," Anar Fazylzhanova said.
At the same time, during the round table the employees of the National Scientific and Practical Center "Til-Qazyna" made a presentation of the website and mobile application qazlatyn.kz. Not far off is the time when Latin graphics will be used everywhere in the country. This program allows you to translate any texts into Latin.