The Address of the Head of State as another tactical step in the permanent modernization of our country in accordance with the concept of a "hearing state" includes answers to the burning questions of our time. It is the "hearing state" that immediately responds to the early signs of pressing economic and sociocultural challenges.
The model of a social state, enshrined in Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is implemented through each annual Address. In his latest Address, President K.K. Tokayev highlighted a critical issue of our time—the protection of children. Starting in January 2024, children in our republic began receiving payments from the country’s National Fund.
Given that gambling addiction has become a serious social problem in recent years, it is impossible to exclude the involvement of minors in various forms of gambling. As noted in the Address, there will be administrative responsibility for the involvement of minors in gambling. The state is taking appropriate measures to address this issue.
Children are the future of the country. They will defend Kazakhstan's interests and implement state policies in the future. But unfortunately, there are currently precedents of inhumanity, particularly acts of violence against children. In response, penalties for any form of violence against minors have been tightened. Moreover, as the Head of State emphasized, "A law on ensuring child safety, as well as on the prevention and suppression of crimes against women and children, has come into effect."
Mother and child, as the foundation of the family unit, must always be under the vigilant protection of the state. The well-being of each family is one of the priorities of a social, "hearing state". After all, the family generates the values of a citizen. Only a healthy, thriving family can help the country form and strengthen modern behavioural models and root new values.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the critical role of secondary education in strengthening the country's human capital. Quality education is the foundation of a state's future success. The national project "Comfortable School" is being implemented in this context. There is a saying: "The influence of a teacher is impossible to erase." A teacher's importance in forming a generation of citizens is indisputable. As the President stated, "Teachers are the intellectual vanguard of the country, laying the foundation for the nation's long-term progress. We can have the best programs, modern schools, and advanced management systems, but we will not achieve anything without good teachers." For this reason, the enrollment of students in pedagogical universities requires careful attention.
Returning to the concept of the social state, which guarantees social equality and justice to ensure that every citizen achieves a dignified quality and standard of living, it is essential to outline the features of the Kazakh model in the Address. As stated in the Address, "For preschool education and child upbringing, parents share the collective responsibility with the state." In this regard, the government has been tasked with ensuring per capita funding for preschool education linked to the actual income of each family.
As we know, the family is the guardian of universal human values. To what extent the family is a healthy organism depends on the process of faithful mental renewal requested by time and progress. A family based on the equality of all its members, where children's rights are protected and where children receive maximum love and care, is capable of instilling in the younger generation of Kazakh citizens a sense of responsibility for their country. The Kazakh model of the social state particularly emphasizes the protection of the bond between mother and child, as well as opposition to any form of violence, especially the eradication of violence against children.
Head of the Service of Cultural and Educational Projects
of the Presidential Center of the DPA RK,
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor
Kunslu ISINOVA
