He noted that the rise in prices will negatively affect families with limited financial resources.
At a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh, deputy Dastan Bekeshev reported a significant increase in the cost of the National Testing (ORT) — from 200 soms to 470 soms for each subject.
In his opinion, such a price hike will have a negative impact on families that are already in a difficult social situation.
“Many of them are forced to spend additional money on paid courses to prepare their children for the ORT. This creates additional financial burdens,” he added.
According to the deputy, the testing causes stress for graduates and requires significant expenses.
Bekeshev also mentioned that in a number of countries, graduation tests are funded by the state, so parents do not incur these costs.
He believes that the initial payment system for tests may have been justified, but now it is time to reform this practice.
“The country’s budget has increased, and we have a surplus. Why not allocate funds for this important area? Let’s start this year. Let it be 400 million soms or another amount. Let’s make the ORT free. This is necessary, as the state is responsible for preparing its graduates,” he concluded.
