At present, burnout among students during the final year of school is increasingly common in society due to various reasons. They have to cope not only with psychological problems but also with worries about their future, as this period of life represents a transition into adulthood. Moreover, school students are also concerned about their parents and financial problems, especially related to university education. This topic has been raised many times before, yet the situation continues because effective solutions have not been found. Meanwhile, tragic incidents involving school students continue to increase.
One of the main reasons why applicants experience burnout is preparation for and taking entrance exams. In Kazakhstan, the most important exam for university admission is the Unified National Testing (UNT). However, in recent years, universities have begun to require additional international exams such as IELTS and SAT. As a result, students are forced to study even harder and compete with one another. The number of children and schools is increasing, but despite the construction of new schools—where at least 25 students sit in one classroom—not a single new university has been built. Every year, students compete not only with each other but also with last year’s graduates who failed to enroll, as well as with students from elite and prestigious schools such as NIS. At the same time, universities continuously raise passing scores for their programs. Even universities that are not particularly innovative demand high scores. The number of people taking the test keeps increasing, causing the platform to overload and lag, forcing students to register for the exam in other cities. Last year, in 2025, 113,000 applicants took part in the competition, and about 74,000 of them received state grants.
From this issue arises a second problem—financial pressure. Even if the test itself does not cost much, preparation for the exam requires additional expenses. Preparatory courses charge fairly high fees, which is understandable given the effort involved, but paying for preparation can place a heavy financial burden on parents. As a result, children often feel ashamed and try to justify their parents’ expectations. The exam itself is often perceived as a lottery because no matter how much one studies, unexpected questions may appear due to updates in the question bank. Although there are four attempts, only two of them allow students to compete for a state grant. Thus, chances of admission are limited, unlike many foreign exams that can be retaken an unlimited number of times. If a student fails to get a grant and enrolls on a paid basis, the money spent on preparation is essentially wasted, and parents must then pay for four years of tuition, further straining family finances and increasing the child’s sense of guilt. For example, preparatory courses may cost 29,500 tenge per month for one subject, 56,500 tenge for two subjects, and 86,000 tenge for four subjects. These are the prices of an educational center in the capital city, Astana, called “Talan.” Meanwhile, the average annual tuition fee at a good university is around 1,500,000 tenge.
The third problem is also closely related to finances but is more of a social issue. It concerns graduation preparations and events during the final year of school, which are considered especially important. These include fundraising for events such as New Year celebrations, graduation ceremonies, banquets, after-parties, waltz performances, and more. Each event requires outfits such as dresses and suits, and for girls—hairstyling, makeup, manicures, and other procedures. All of this costs money. Even though these expenses are not essential, students still feel pressured to spend money because they do not want to fall behind their peers. As a result, even before entering adulthood, some families take out loans just to cover graduation-related expenses and parties.
When all these factors are combined, some students tragically come to one conclusion—ending their lives. One of the most well-known cases occurred in 2015 in the city of Aktobe. On May 8, Leila Shakulova did not come to school, and by seven in the evening, her lifeless body was found in her apartment. According to neighbors, Leila committed suicide by hanging herself on a door handle in the living room. She left a suicide note that read: “Do not blame anyone. I feel that I will not pass the UNT. I didn’t want to spend money on graduation. It will be easier without me, and there will be no need to take a loan. I’m sorry.” This case demonstrates how what seems like an ordinary exam can push an ordinary teenager, who is just beginning their life, to decide not to live at all. At least five such cases have been officially recorded.
Regarding solutions to this problem, specifically burnout, clinical psychologist Olga Mustafinaspoke in an interview about how to avoid emotional burnout and how to treat it. “If you have not entered the active phase of burnout but only notice early signs such as fatigue, unwillingness to go to work or come home from work, lack of energy to do anything, yet you are still ready to help yourself and feel that something needs to change—this is a magical signal from your body telling you that you need rest. Thank your body for its sensitivity and take a few steps toward changing your condition for better results,” the psychologist said. She emphasizes the importance of rest and recommends taking a two-week vacation twice a year. As one way to relieve stress, she suggests spending time near a river, lake, waterfall, or swimming pool, as this helps release old and overwhelming thoughts and experiences. It is important to be in a positive and calming environment rather than an aggressive one and to understand that everything is in your hands.
Aigerim Yessenbayeva
