Kostanay Polytechnic Higher College hosted a themed curatorial hour dedicated to a significant date in our country’s history—the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. This day, August 29, symbolized the victory of human reason and the will of the people over the threat of nuclear annihilation. Kazakhstan was the first in the world to close the world’s largest nuclear test site and voluntarily renounce the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal.

The goals of the curatorial hour were to remind students of the tragic consequences of nuclear testing for the environment and public health; to highlight the role of Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping initiatives in the international arena; and to foster an understanding of the values ​​of peace, security, and environmental responsibility.

Group leaders briefed the students on the facts: over the 40 years of the test site’s operation, more than 450 explosions occurred. The students discussed the scale of radiation’s impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Particular attention was paid to the role of the popular anti-nuclear movement and Olzhas Suleimenov’s contribution to uniting society against the tests.

Discussion of the Decree on the Closure of the Test Site (1991), which opened a new page in the history of independent Kazakhstan as a leader in the global anti-nuclear movement.

Students viewed documentary footage and presentations about life in the region today and the measures being taken to restore it.

During the discussions, students expressed a common opinion: a world without nuclear weapons is the only possible path for human development.

“We, the younger generation, must remember the lessons of the past to build a safe future. The closure of the Semipalatinsk test site is a lesson in courage and humanism for the entire world.”

The number of students who participated in the mentoring hours: 1st year – 414; 2nd year – 330; 3rd year – 208; 4th year – 146; group leaders – 43.