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Tengrinews.kz – Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova has officially ruled out merging physics, chemistry and biology into one integrated science course in Kazakhstan’s schools, putting an end to months of public debate. She announced the decision at the 2nd International Congress of Young Scientists in Almaty on December 11.
The minister stressed that each discipline will continue to be taught separately.
“Let me put a full stop to this discussion. The idea of merging physics, chemistry and biology into a single subject has been widely debated. The ministry’s position is clear: these subjects will not be combined,” Suleimenova said. “Physics will remain physics, chemistry will remain chemistry, and biology will remain biology.”
She added that the ministry’s priority is to ensure students can study fundamental sciences “deeply and systematically,” and that the proposed reform is suspended effective immediately.
Discussions about reorganizing the curriculum surfaced in February 2025, when education officials suggested grouping chemistry, physics and biology into “natural science,” combining world history with basic law into “social sciences,” and merging algebra with geometry into “mathematics.” The new standard was initially expected to be introduced in 2026.
Public reaction
The proposal sparked strong pushback across society. Political analyst Gaziz Abishev called the plan “a sabotage against the education system.”
“You cannot merge algebra and geometry. Algebra is more abstract, studying mathematical structures, while geometry is tangible and helps children link theory to the world around them. They must be taught separately,” he wrote on Telegram.
He argued that strong learning outcomes require distinct subjects and that reducing instruction hours in the natural sciences and mathematics is unacceptable.
