Mass shift to remote learning in Kazakhstan: more regions join as ARVI cases surge
Tengrinews.kz – Seven regions across Kazakhstan have partially moved schoolchildren to remote learning amid a spike in acute respiratory infections (ARVI). A total of 1,469 classes from 132 schools have been switched online.
Speaking at a press conference in Astana, Chief Sanitary Doctor Sarkhat Beisenova outlined the current epidemiological situation in schools as of the morning of 19 November. She emphasized that schools themselves are not being closed, but individual classes are being moved online based on absentee rates.
“The decision to shift to remote learning has been made in seven regions. Nationwide, 1,469 classes in 132 schools have moved online. These are targeted decisions: a class is transferred to remote learning only if more than 30 percent of students are absent within one incubation period due to ARVI,” she said.
Where classes have been moved online
Beisenova listed the regions currently implementing partial remote learning:
Astana – 24 schools, 182 classes
Abai Region – 21 schools, 276 classes
East Kazakhstan Region – 57 schools, 204 classes
Zhambyl Region – 14 schools, 598 classes
Kostanay Region – 12 schools, 168 classes
Akmola Region – 3 schools, 21 classes
Karaganda Region – 1 school, 20 classes
Criteria for switching to remote learning
She reminded that schools follow two key rules:
If over 20% of students in a class are sick, the school cancels the rotating classroom system — students stay in one room, but continue attending classes offline.
If over 30% are absent, the entire class moves to remote learning.
At the same briefing, First Vice Minister of Health Timur Sultangaziyev reported that since the beginning of the 2025 epidemic season, Kazakhstan has registered 1.5 million ARVI cases, 65–66 percent of them children. This is 20 percent lower than the same period last year. Among children under 14, 1 million ARVI cases have been recorded.
Earlier, authorities in Abai and East Kazakhstan regions confirmed partial transitions to remote learning due to rising infection rates among schoolchildren.