Kazakhstan to monitor school bullying under new rules

Amendments to the regulations governing child registration and the prevention of school bullying will enter into force in Kazakhstan on November,21. Education authorities will be required to register reports of bullying within one working day, El.kz reports.

How Schools Will Respond to Bullying

The one-working-day registration period for a bullying report will commence upon its receipt by the local education authority. Parents and other legal representatives of both the child affected by bullying and the child responsible for the bullying will be entitled to appeal the decision of the relevant authority.

Upon receiving a decision on the social rehabilitation of the child affected by bullying and the social adaptation of the child responsible, the school will be required to arrange psychological support for both children. To this end, the school will develop an individual support plan.

What Information Will Be Included in the Database

Local education authorities will maintain a unified database of children from birth to the age of 18, based on information contained in the National Educational Database (NEDB). The database will include information on children attending preschool institutions, school students, college students, children not enrolled in education, and those who systematically miss classes without a valid reason.

Information on persistent absenteeism without a valid reason will be reconciled with internal affairs authorities and entered into the NEDB by the 10th day of each month.