Opening Dialogues: Enabling Student Agency through Political Conversations and Civic Engagement in Kazakh Schools
By Gulnaz Kordanova
20 June 2023
Absence of Space for Critical Assessment
As a student, I did not have space to critically assess and reflect on important historical events that shaped Kazakhstan, such as the Kazakh famine, the 1986 Zheltoksan protest for independence, and the 2011 Zhanaozen massacre. As a former teacher, I do not recall an opportunity to discuss and reflect on political challenges with my students and colleagues in a school setting. These discussions and reflections were not welcomed, but times are changing.
Since 2019, when the former president, Nazarbayev, stepped down from his almost 30-year-long position, Kazakhs have become more politically involved, questioning the government and seeking answers, especially school children and university students. How are teachers and schools supporting young people to engage in these conversations? I spoke with educators in a Kazakh-speaking school in the suburbs of Southeast Kazakhstan, a privileged private school in Central Kazakhstan, and a public school in rural North Kazakhstan with a Russian-speaking population to learn from their experiences.
Silent Schools: Avoidance and Lack of Guidance
Schools continue to maintain silence and even actively avoid engagement in any political conversations and civic activism. A school principal of a suburban, private school in southeast Kazakhstan shared, “When we started to have geopolitical complications in Kazakhstan, regardless of the expressed interest from teachers and students - I did not engage in these conversations, since we are not experts in the political field. The Ministry of Education also did not give any resources or guidance on how to navigate around this topic.”
While there are no official rules that prohibit political and religious topics, there are certain limitations on what can be discussed in schools. Regardless, conversations around geopolitical issues continue to take place among students. A school leadership representative from rural North Kazakhstan explained that while students may not engage in open political conversations in classrooms, they are exposed to political topics. She said, “Even though we don’t talk about politics and current challenges at school, kids' worldviews are significantly influenced by many factors. Things that are in the background shape their mindset and understanding. For example, we mostly have Russian TV channels that are sharing Russian propaganda, and students hear all of these messages and conversations, even though they might not watch TV.”
Detrimental Effects of the Status Quo
In this context, an absence of common guidelines from the Ministry and school leadership for how to engage students in conversations about political topics can be detrimental rather than beneficial. A teacher at a private school explained that “we should be able to answer children’s questions and requests.” And yet teachers describe lack of support and expertise in discussing political questions, and also ways in which their engagement can put their careers and personal safety at risk.
A teacher from a private, elite school described that in her school context, there is not enough preparation for teachers to talk about politics with students. She said, “If I were in the leadership of the school, I would love to bring the discussion around geopolitical topics. However, in my opinion, teachers are not ready to engage ethically in these conversations and separate emotions from the facts. So first, we need to prepare teachers to be more information- and media-literate, have a high level of ethics, and then very delicately talk about the topics around politics.” She described how teachers need these skills in order to support children to be able to analyze sources and know how to determine the credibility of information instead of avoiding political conversations at all.
Balancing Risk and Responsibility: The Role of School Leadership and Long Term Impact of Silence
One school principal also explained: “I admit that having discussions around politics is very risky. We may have teachers, children, and parents with different conflicting opinions, as well as we may face risks from governmental bodies that might be a threat to our personal lives. However, I understand that I did not give the space for teachers to discuss the situations that we’re having in our schools this year. I think, as a school principal, it is important for me to at least offer the space and listen.”
A school leadership representative from rural, North Kazakhstan had a different view of where leadership should come from on these issues: “we should have a centralized vision from the government,” she said. “Messages from the government should be communicated with the Ministry of Education and so on.” This central guidance, she explained, could help allay “teachers' concerns about personal risks [that] keep them silent when it comes to political topics.”
In all three schools, educators described the need for guidance and training to create opportunities for teachers and students to discuss and reflect on the political complications that Kazakhstan is currently facing. Most importantly, teachers need to feel secure and not threatened when helping students reflect on the political questions they are grappling with, in turn able to create safe spaces for students to share their thoughts. Recognizing the complexity and risks that political discussions in schools entail, burying these discussions in other spaces may have long-lasting consequences for schoolchildren and for the country.
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this publication belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily represent those of REACH or the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gulnaz Kordanova graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a degree in Human Development and Education, specializing in the Global, International, Comparative Education Concentration. She is also an alumna of the 2022 Cheng Fellowship with the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. Gulnaz's work focuses on achieving educational and digital equity, and she has founded nonprofits such as Teach for Kazakhstan and Connect-Ed.kz to fulfill this mission in Kazakhstan. Additionally, she has conducted research using the participatory research method called photovoice and is interested in topics of digital equity and social mobility, communities of practice, and the ethical considerations of nonprofits and social enterprises when working with communities.
Connect with Gulnaz on LinkedIn or via email at kordanova.gulnaz@gmail.com
To learn more about her nonproft work visit: https://connect-ed.kz/