The scientist's glorious path

Kanash Shakenovich Shakenov was born in Karatal village of present-day Yesil district of North Kazakhstan region in the family of teacher Shaken Zholtaev. Doctor of Economics, Professor Mukash Eleusizov wrote about this man: "Kanash's own father Shaken is an aksakal, a well-known teacher throughout Priishimye, who received the high title of national teacher for his fifty years of activity, was one of the first in the region to be awarded the highest award of that time Order of Lenin. Kanash, who received his father's upbringing, also became a high-class teacher."

Kanash Shakenov graduated from the school with honors, and in 1941 began his career as an accountant on a collective farm. In 1945, a young communist was accepted into the staff of propagandists of the Leninsky (current Yesilsky) district party committee. Kanash Shakenovich constantly improved his knowledge. In a relatively short time, he studied at the Almaty Party School, worked as a lecturer of the regional party committee, graduated from the historical faculty of the Almaty Pedagogical Institute and entered the postgraduate course of the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU.

After successfully defending his dissertation, he received the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences, returned to his native Leninsky district and began working as the second secretary of the district party committee.

But he was more attracted to scientific activity. In September 1956, Kanash Shakenovich moved to work as an associate professor at the Petropavlovsk Pedagogical Institute, and five years later he was elected to the post of head of the Department of Political Economy and Philosophy. In 1969, a responsible and initiative young scientist was appointed rector of the Petropavlovsk Pedagogical Institute named after K.D. Ushinsky.

His activity in his new position was filled with concern for students. Over the years of its operation, two academic buildings, a sports hall, three student dormitories, residential houses for teachers, an agrobiological station, a country sports and recreation camp were built. The energetic rector achieved the opening of two new faculties: physical culture and music and pedagogical. The material and technical base of the institute improved at an unprecedented pace, its personnel potential increased. Already by the mid-eighties, more than a hundred teachers of the Institute had the degree of doctor and Candidate of sciences.

Kanash Shakenov, using his high authority in the scientific community, achieved the establishment of partnership relations with Moscow State University (MSU) named after M. Lomonosov. This helped to bring the Petropavlovsk Pedagogical Institute to the All-Union level.

Constant worries about the material and personnel condition of the Institute did not prevent Kanash Shakenovich from actively engaged in scientific work. His theoretical articles on topical social problems regularly appeared in the magazines "Thought", "Questions of Economics", "Scientific Bulletin". Heading the regional branch of the All-Union Society "Knowledge", he contributed to the dissemination of scientific knowledge among the population.

In his book "The Cost and price of goods", published in 1997 in the publishing house of the North Kazakhstan State University, he outlined the basics of a market economy. He also reveals the nature of the market in detail in the article "This mysterious product", published in No. 8 of the magazine "Thought" in 2001.

K.Sh. Shakenov worked tirelessly. He wrote not only scientific articles, but also short stories, essays from the everyday work of his countrymen. His love for rural workers and his native land permeates his novel "Aul on virgin land".

In his diary, being already retired, Kanash Shakenovich Shakenov left modest lines about himself: "Retired. I worked as a rector for 18 years and 2 months. I worked on my native land, for the people, for my fellow countrymen, therefore I consider myself happy." Indeed, the person who left behind good deeds is happy.

Kayrolla Mukanov, veteran teacher, local historian