Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova Addresses Parents Disrupting Teachers' Off-Hours

Kazakhstan's Minister of Education, Zhuldyz Suleimenova, has issued an official statement addressed to both educators and parents. The head of the ministry clarified the government's firm stance regarding parents who continuously call and send endless messages to teachers outside of regular working hours.

According to the ministry, this initiative does not aim to sever communication entirely, but rather to establish mutual interaction within the bounds of elementary respect and professional etiquette.

The address highlights the heavy daily workload of educators as the primary reason for introducing the new guidelines:

• Immense Workload: On average, a teacher conducts six lessons daily, interacting directly with more than 150 students.

• Physical and Psychological Toll: Maintaining classroom discipline, delivering lesson plans, grading assignments, and providing individualized attention to every child requires standing for hours and maintaining high emotional resilience.

• Post-Class Responsibilities: Once instruction ends, teachers must grade notebooks and prepare comprehensive lesson plans for the following day.

Zhuldyz Suleimenova emphasized that if society expects teachers to remain calm, energized, and professional, they must be granted adequate time to rest and recharge. The newly introduced guidelines are not intended to distance schools from families, but rather to safeguard a teacher's right to personal time and rest.

At the same time, teachers remain fully prepared to respond swiftly in emergencies involving a child's health or safety. The Ministry of Education urges parents to approach the new protocol with understanding and refrain from disturbing educators without valid, urgent reasons.