The Big Shake

And all because the educational institution is falling apart before our eyes. The piles are coming away from the walls, there is a draft from the windows. And in the basement, where water penetrates through cracks throughout the building, there is a swampy dampness.

The school has been closed for a week - children and teachers were frightened by the strange trembling of the building, raised the alarm. Parents came running, raised a fuss. It is worth giving credit: the school administration did not ignore the obvious - they immediately called the district authorities, and transferred the students to distance learning.

Residents of the village of Aksay shared their fears with us. There is no transport: once an hour a bus runs along the highway, picking up passengers from the surrounding villages. To get to at least the northern outskirts of the city, you need to catch a ride and go to the neighboring village of Akkent.

The same applies to schools - state programs for the construction of new educational facilities reach neighboring villages. In Aksay, children have been attending the old school, built in 1958 according to Stalin's designs, for many years. And in an extension, built in the 1980s as a kindergarten, but in recent years converted into a primary school. Therefore, when there was talk that some of the students could be sent to the neighboring village of Shabyt, people sounded the alarm.

- Why not start building a new school here too? - the villagers dream. - But they explain to us: the project for a new building is very expensive. As if our children are somehow different, not citizens of our country.

Today, Aksay schoolchildren study in the old school (it is located on the same territory as the emergency one). In addition, the monumental building, which also requires repairs, is designed for 650 children, but in fact, twice as many study there.

The administration has hung warning signs around the emergency facility and closed the doors. But no one is watching the building to make sure curious children don't get in. It's not far from tragedy. By the way, the emergency school was already closed for repairs in 2021 - there was a similar situation then. But cosmetic repairs did not benefit the building.

- This year we were expecting a major overhaul of both schools, but we did not know the exact date when the repairs would begin, - says director Kamila KALANDAROVA. - We have a decision that the school is recognized as unsafe. But we fit in it, the children are safe now. We are waiting for the conclusion of KazNIISA.

Yulia ZENG, Almaty