On July 22, nominations for mayoral candidates of rural districts were completed in Western Kazakhstan. Overall, 473 candidates for 149 rural counties, two towns and one city district were nominated, with three or four candidates contending for each seat. According to the Regional Election Commission, the nomination of candidates for mayors in rural areas was conducted by governors. First, the commission consulted with the local community and introduced the candidates. “Most of the candidates for rural mayors are men (80 percent) with an average age of 41. All candidates have a college education. Most of them work in the education system (35 percent), agriculture (31 percent) and the economy (11 percent). A third of the candidates are acting mayors of rural districts. 80 percent are members of Nur Otan. More than 40 percent of the candidates are employed by government agencies,” Chairman of the Regional Election Commission Abay Khamsin said.
Gold accessories were found at the Sarkyrama burial ground in Sandyktau district of Akmola region, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. The finding was made by a team from the Centre for Protection and Use of Cultural Heritage of the Akmola region. “This is a rare find and it belongs to the fourth century B.C,” Talgat Ibrayev, director of the centre, said. According to him, they found gold earrings, a ring, a pendant, a thimble and jars. Some days earlier, at another burial ground, a woman’s bones and accessories were found. The centre’s team has been working there since June 15.
Next year, Kazakhstan will host the 45th International Physics Olympiad, according to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science. This year, the Olympiad was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Kazakhstan’s national team was presented a book entitled “Book IPhO,” which declared Astana the world capital of physics in 2014. The book was started in Estonia, continued in Denmark and passed to Kazakhstan as the next host country. At the official closing ceremony of the Olympiad, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education and Science held a presentation on the host country of the 45th IPhO. This year’s Olympiad in Copenhagen was attended by 374 students from 81 countries. Kazakhstan’s five-person team won four silver medals and one bronze. Silver medallists were 11th-grade student from Astana Aidar Zhetesov, 10th-grade student from Aktobe Amir Bralin, 11th-grade student from Taraz Musa Radzhamov and 11th-grade student from Almaty Nurislam Tursynbek. 10th-grade student from Taraz Dinmukhammed Nurbek won bronze.
This year, 78,758 school leavers and graduates of vocational education institutions in Kazakhstan were to undergo complex testing from July 19-22, according to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science. Acceptance of applications for participation in the testing was held by the selection committees of higher education institutions from June 20 to July 9. This year, the complex testing will be conducted at 35 test stations at higher education institutions. The preparation of examination materials and their delivery to the regions is under way. The complex testing is held in Kazakh or in Russian language and includes four disciplines: Kazakh or Russian language (the language of instruction), the history of Kazakhstan, maths and an optional discipline. Representatives of the Education and Science Ministry monitored the testing process.
On July 23, the online voting for the new logo of EXPO 2017, which started on July 9, identified two leaders. Citizens of Kazakhstan were offered a choice of seven logos developed by 27 designers from 18 countries. More than 10,000 people took part in the voting on social network pages of the project. “Two leaders were identified. The first place went to the logo “Green Energy,” for which 3,088 people gave their votes in Kazakhstan and the second place went to the “Wind Energy” logo with 2,594 votes,” Assel Kozhakova, head of the public relations department of the Astana EXPO 2017 national company, said. The final decision will be made on July 26 by the state commission.
