One of the writers for The Momentum Report, Daniya Auzbekova from Kazakhstan talks about her perspective on how Kazakhstan’s education system is expressed in her school. She shares her feelings about the current curriculum and daily school life, while talking of the future as well. 

“One of the things I hate most in the world is my country’s school system.

I honestly feel so trapped and limited by it. Don’t get me wrong—I love studying—but the expectations placed on us, as students, make me want to leave and never come back.

We study under the quarter system, and each quarter we face “finals week.” During this week, we have one enormous test for each subject, which counts for 50% of our grade. The worst part? We don’t even get a syllabus. Teachers just tell us to read the textbook. How am I supposed to understand a subject by reading 100 pages of complex, poorly worded material? Especially when, in the end, none of this hard work matters because everything boils down to the United National Exam, which ultimately decides our fate.

Studying for these tests consumes most of my time. I barely get enough time for sleep, let alone time for my actual hobbies. Another thing that frustrates me is the way we’re required to study every subject in depth. I don’t even get to choose the subjects I’m passionate about or want to pursue. How is knowing the exact year of some random conference going to help me in mechanical engineering? Why should this information take up space in my memory?

Lastly, the government’s expectations are just absurd. They expect us to stay in the country with this broken system? If anything, I’m trying my hardest to leave and never look back.

I love studying, but this school system is making me hate it.”