Following the lessons of Ibrai Altynsarin…

"It is necessary to give a good education,

it is impossible to teach haphazardly"

Ibrai Altynsarin

Each of us remembers the famous lines from his poem "Kel, Balalar, okylyk", calling for knowledge:

It was these lines that the great educator wrote in honor of the opening of the first people's secular school in January 1864. Ibrai Altynsarin devoted his whole life to the enlightenment of his native people; he can rightly be called the "first teacher" of the Kazakh people. And this is not accidental. Thanks to his hard work, contrary to the requirements of the tsarist administration and ignoring the old feudal traditions, I. Altynsarin opened many schools in the Kazakh steppe, taught Kazakh boys and girls and encouraged them to social life. Altynsarin wrote: "... Like a hungry wolf for a ram, I took up the education of children fervently...I try my best to influence their morals as well, so that they would not be bribe takers later." Altynsarin did not write about morality by chance, because the upbringing of children in his school was based on humanistic principles. Based on the ideas of Belinsky, who said that the main task in educating young people is the formation of "... A person who could ... without ceasing to be a Person," the Kazakh educator believed that educating young people in the spirit of humanity is the main task of the school.

"The idea of humanism, where the value of a person is recognized, is the basis of a teacher's activity today! Only a teacher can teach a child to admire and admire their native land, only he will teach them to feel the pain and joy of their native nature, and it is he who will teach them to love their native land, Homeland, Kazakhstan so that this love remains in the heart for life!" - so said I. Altynsarin, striving to instill in the younger generation of Kazakhs a sense of love for the motherland. It is to this topic that he repeatedly addresses in his work: "Kara Batyr", "Karakylpash", "Zhanibek Batyr" - in these works the author raises issues of patriotism, honesty and humanity.

It is impossible not to agree with the opinion of I. Altynsarin that pedagogy is a great work. For Altynsarin, the teaching position is "not a service, but a God-given vocation." "... At all times, teachers went in rags. You should have a high soul for this, capable of giving your flame to other people without demanding anything in return.", - wrote the first teacher of the Kazakh steppe about the high spiritual morality of the teacher. He always noted that teaching methods should have a system and meaning, advised teachers to use exercises that could contribute to learning on the principle of "from simple to complex", as well as to present the material in an interesting form for the student. "Teachers make up everything for public schools: neither the finest pedagogical manuals, nor the noblest government orders, nor thorough inspection supervision can compare with them," Altynsarin argued.

It can be said with great confidence that I. Altynsarin's ideas in the field of pedagogy remain relevant and modern to this day, since they are aimed more at making a person noble and showing how important the connection with society and the world is for him. "... teaching Kazakh boys neatness, cleanliness and the advantages of a settled life has in itself an educational value in the Kazakh steppe," the great educator reflected on the organization of educational work in accordance with the requirements of society.

Throughout his life, I. Altynsarin studied the works of classics of Russian and Western European literature. Teaching Kazakh children, he instilled in them a love of folk art, folk culture, folk traditions. However, at the same time, he supplemented the traditional culture with the ideas of Russian and European classics, such as A. S. Pushkin, Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, and many others. It was this idea of Altynsarin that contributed to the introduction of the Kazakh people to the advanced democratic culture. He called for bilingualism, the perception of the culture of another nation through the study of its language. Currently, one of the main directions in education is bilingualism, multilingualism, and intercultural communication. Together with the opening of schools, Altynsarin tried to enrich libraries that "could ... meet the needs of the literate part of the Kyrgyz people engaged in reading and self-study." He seemed to live with the ideas of the future, foresaw that the main goal of education would be the readiness of the child's personality for self-determination and self-realization.

Ibrai Altynsarin dreamed of seeing his people educated. He said: "I will not give up on the fundamental thoughts, the conviction to be useful to the people, even if it costs me my life."

Currently, the education system in the Republic of Kazakhstan is undergoing drastic changes: new teaching methods are being actively researched and introduced, the digitalization of educational processes is being intensively carried out. However, at the same time, one should not forget about the idea of moral education of the younger generation, to the realization of which Ibrai Altynsarin devoted his life.

In the field of higher education, this idea has also not lost its relevance. That is why one of the leading national universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan – Al-Farabi Kazakh National University – along with the provision of educational services pays great importance to the education of students in the spirit of devotion to the Motherland on the examples of the history and culture of our ancestors. An important feature is that, following global trends in the development of higher education, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University continues to preserve the cultural heritage of our country and revives the memory of the past for future generations.

Here it is worth noting the merit of the teaching staff, whose members, having extensive scientific, research, pedagogical and methodological experience, embody the ideas of the great educator-educator Ibray Altynsarin. Among the university teachers there are holders of the titles "Honored Worker of Science and Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan", "Outstanding Scientist", "Honorary Worker of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan", authors of textbooks that have become the basis for training in many fields. All of them have made a significant contribution to the formation and development of pedagogical science in our country. The geography of scientific cooperation of the faculty of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University extends far beyond the borders of the Republic of Kazakhstan, because KazNU strives for development both at the national and international levels. As Nursultan Nazarbayev said: "KazNU is an outpost of education and science of the new generation of Kazakhstan."

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