The Baroque

In Russia the Baroque was created by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. His father famous sculptor Carlo Rastrelli was invited to Russia by Peter the Great. His sixteen-year-old son had no professional training when he came to Russia. He learned at the construction sites of St. Petersburg masters and became an architect of world renown, the designer of many magnificent palaces and churches in the Russian capital. The Winter Palace executed in the fine taste and on a gigantic scale is Rastrelli's masterpiece. Rastrelli himself made the drawings and plans of the palace, designed the ornamentation patterns for window platbands, carvings, sculptures, lattices, parquetry, interiors and furniture. The palace building is nearly two kilometers long in perimeter. Originally it had 1,050 chambers, 117 staircases, 1886doors and 1,945 windows. The project was started in the reign of Elizabeth, Peter the Great's daughter who was fond of the Baroque, so the Winter Palace is lavishly adorned with columns, stucco window platbands and sculptures over the roof cornice.

Education in Kazakhstan

The educational system in Kazakhstan is presented by two languages Kazakh and Russian. The Constitution and acting laws prohibit any discrimination on the basis of language and ethnic background and guarantee equal rights in education. Today the educational system in Kazakhstan presents a broad range of methods and forms and employs highly skilled and educated teachers. It includes primary technical-professional specialized and higher educational institutions. The most common form bringing up children to be larger society in Kazakhstan is kindergarten.

Kazakhstan’s kindergartens provide a well-developed curriculum for a child’s all-round development and his preparation for school. Primary education is the most developed of the state’s educational system. Pupils receive their education in schools of three different levels primary (1-4 grades) secondary (5-9 grades) and junior (10-11 grades). Secondary education is compulsory in high school in technical-professional institutes or in special schools. Kazakhstan has also developed several new types of school with greater specialization such as gymnasiums technical lyceums and private schools. Education is free except those which work on a commercial basis. After leaving school pupils will pass Unit National Test (ENT). This test includes 4 subjects: three of them are compulsory. They are mathematics, Russian or Kazakh languages, History of KZ and the fourth is chosen by entrant to university according to speciality The system of higher education prepares highly skilled experts. Most of those institutes have either a pedagogical or technical profile. Some of them also specialize in agriculture and medicine. Others prepare experts on the economy transportation and communication, jurisprudence, art, cinema. Some students are given scholarships.

The private educational system started to take form in the counter only after its independence. In order to open a private institution it is necessary to receive a special license. Their work is evaluated by special committee on accreditation.

Almaty is the most important educational centre. Among the institutions of higher learning of the city there are the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi, Kazakh National Technical University named after K.Satbaev, Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering and others which became large centers of preparation of highly qualified specialists.

The government is currently pursuing a program to adopt a credit-system which would allow students to study more easily internationally, and to add the possibility of a curriculum with electives and student-chosen courses. There are four levels of tertiary education in Kazakhstan: Bachelors degree—a four-year degree, Specialist degree—a five-year degree and more intensive than the bachelors Masters degree— a two year degree, roughly corresponding to the Western masters. Doctoral degree runs a five year program.