The main goal is to educate a conscious

Becoming a country on equal terms with the nations of the world, ensuring that the citizens of the country live in prosperity, with conscious and educated generations looking ahead with confidence, is an urgent task for the nation today, as time has shown. The guarantee of internal stability and unity is national cohesion and public agreement. In this regard, President K.J. Tokayev stated: “Our people have always been distinguished by their broad-mindedness and tolerance. The main value of our country is unity and agreement, and it is primarily thanks to these qualities that it has been preserved. In Kazakhstan, no one is subject to any pressure based on their language, religion, ethnicity, social status, or other reasons, and it cannot happen. Of course, such incidents do occur from time to time. However, these are mostly due to the ignorance and irresponsibility of individuals…” – he said in his address. These values are clearly essential for preserving independence and strengthening our statehood.

The time has come to look forward. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair once said in parliament, "Britain has a rich history. But we don't live in a museum." Similarly, the words of intellectuals, educated members of society, and influential figures should be directed towards the upbringing of future generations. This implies that we must think about the future. "We must not always look back and live in the past, or seek to blame the old system or political figures. It is important to know your nation's history, but you should not let it bring you down or find reasons to complain about others. No matter how tragic past events were, we should primarily learn lessons from them. We need to look to the future with confidence and focus on the growth and development of our country. I always say this", – the President’s address reflects this truth.

Today, the need to promote national values is increasing, as the processes of globalization deepen in our country and threats disguised as "democracy" and "invisible" dangers begin to emerge. One of these threats is Western cultural expansion. The danger here lies in the deliberate undermining of our country's image among countries with traditional external alliances, the deliberate incitement of conflicts among people who follow national traditions, and the efforts aimed at division through these means, which ultimately negatively affects the patriotic spirit of the younger generation.

In short, in our society, values such as hard work and professionalism should be highly appreciated. Specialists who have mastered their craft contribute to the improvement of national quality. Therefore, we are elevating the status of workers. Work in this direction will not stop, and it will continue.

In the age of information, the pace of development of mass media has reached a new level. Consequently, there is a growing need for the development of the functions, role in society, theory, and experience of Kazakh mass media with new momentum and direction. In this regard, the demands and expectations for educators who are working to train journalistic personnel are also increasing.

Klara KABYLGHASYNA,
Professor, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University