Ministry of Education and Science decided to return final exams at schools, and to leave the function of entrance examinations to universities for UNT.
Marina Parkhomenko
This reforming of the uniform exam, which lasted 13 years, MES prepared for several years. And now participants told about the final decision on a press conference in Central Communications Service.
— To improve the UNT, Ministry held a number of social research, public opinion polls, in which more than 10 thousand graduates of schools, teachers and heads of educational organizations, parents, members of the public took participation — the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Control in Education and Science Nurbek Orshubekov said. — Experience of testing and research results showed that the public perceives it as an entrance exam to the University, and the results do not allow to objectively assessing the quality of educational activities of the school.
The function of the final assessment of the UNT is not accomplished in full from the first year of its implementation, as in any year 100% of graduates did not participate in testing. Used tasks and questions in UNT do not take into account the diversity of types and types of schools in the country. For all these reasons, Ministry led the work in two directions — a separation of the functions of UNT and the improvement of its structure and content.
Today, these changes were introduced to the Law ‘On education’ in terms of separation of the UNT in two stages — the final assessment in the form of final state examinations and entrance examinations to the University in the form of the test. In 2017, the final assessment will be held at all schools in period from 1 June to 10 June, UNT for students is scheduled for June 20 — July 1. Also the possibility of re-passing UNT is considered in August 2017 and January 2018.
Director of the Department of preschool and secondary education Zhanyl Zhontayeva said, that the final examinations at schools (no turnstiles and checks) will be held at the 4 compulsory subjects and I — elective. The students will pass the language of training and literature in the form of essays, the history of Kazakhstan — in oral form, math — in the form of tests, Kazakh language in schools with Russian language of instruction and Russian language in schools with Kazakh language of instruction — in the form of tests. The assignment of the mark ‘Altyn belgi’ will be implemented by the school, and its confirmation at UNT is not required, a preferential right for the grant in equal amounts of points with other entrants remains for its holders.
The form of the UNT-2017 involves 120 questions in 5 subjects, including 3 compulsory and 2 profile. Testing time is 3 hours and 30 minutes, the passing score is 50. As explained by the Director of the Department of higher and postgraduate education of MES, Darkhan Akhmed-Zaki, in order that the applicant consciously chose the specialty it is expected to change the structure of the test questions.
The first three mandatory courses — language training and reading skills, involving the ability to perceive, analyze text, and mathematical literacy, including math tests and assignments on logic, history of Kazakhstan. There are two core subjects in the structure of the UNT, in particular, if the graduate chooses mathematics and physics, then, as before, he has the opportunity to apply for 4 specialties, but in general it will give him the opportunity to pretend for 52 specialty.
One of the key changes is that the college graduates will get their first opportunity to pass test exams for core subjects, which they passed during the period of training, these are 40 questions plus another 20 on general disciplines, whereas before they passed the same subjects as the high school graduates.
MES specialists believe that the reforms will impact positively on the process of final assessment, to relieve the tension that prevailed earlier around the UNT. For the questions that arise now and possible in the future, they are ready to respond during a large-scale explanatory work, which starts on these days in the regions.