an annual rotation. Thus, direct contact of the supreme state power with the ethnic groups of the country was provided, ensuring the groups’ representation at the highest level. APK Secretariat is a working body of the Assembly and is included in the structure of the Administration of the President as an independent unit. The competence of the Secretariat is to coordinate the work of state bodies on the issues of ethnic groups, the protection of their rights and interests, review of complaints and statements by representatives of ethnic groups and ethnic and cultural associations, elaboration of proposals for improving the state national policies and ensuring the rights of minorities. In the executive bodies of the Ministry of Culture and Information, in the Department of Social and Political Work, there is the Office on cooperation with the APK, which deals with issues concerning ensuring activities and support for ethnic and cultural associations. In the framework of 2009 social services commissioning, 35 projects on support of the ethnic groups amounting to 146 million Tenge are being carried out. The APK’s social infrastructure includes the scientific advisory council, whose tasks include comprehensive expert assessment of the trends of ethno-political and confessional development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the forecast; promotion of the role of the APK as a political and civil institution, scientific and expert assistance of the APK activities. Similar scientific and expert groups were set up in all regions of the country. Three public funds functioning as NGOs are dealing with issues pertaining to the support of ethnic minorities, financing of socially significant projects, [they] carry out cultural and educational, charity, [and] educational activities in accordance with the purpose and objectives of the APK. Issues of political participation of ethnic groups are covered in 33 national press media in 15 languages. TV broadcasts feature 4 programmes in 11 languages. Funding in support of ethnic media and production of programmes about ethnic groups is allocated under the budget programme “Implementation of the State Information Policy” (72 million and 683 thousand Tenge). Education system enables integration of minorities in the social and political life of the country and the preservation of their identity. In 88 schools training is conducted entirely in Uzbek, Tajik, Uighur and Ukrainian languages. In 108 schools, 22 ethnic languages are taught as a separate subject. There were opened 195 specialised linguistic centres for the study of 30 languages. Apart from the Kazakh and Russian theatres, there exist 4 national ones – Uzbek, Uighur, Korean and German. Three of them are the only ones in their kind in the CIS. Ladies and gentlemen!