Almaty FIZMAT replaces director after mass student poisoning

Tengrinews.kz — A new director has been appointed at the Almaty branch of the National School of Physics and Mathematics (FIZMAT). Almaz Kungozhin, who previously headed the school, has taken the post. The leadership change follows a mass food poisoning incident involving students.

According to the FIZMAT press service, former director Meirbek Meirlan Yedigeruly has stepped down from the position.

What is known about the new director

Almaz Kungozhin holds a PhD in Mathematics and is a graduate of FIZMAT. He previously headed the school’s Almaty branch from 2018 to 2023.

Over the years, Kungozhin worked at FIZMAT as a teacher, a mathematics olympiad coach and deputy director for specialized and experimental work. Since September 2023, he had served as First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the FIZMAT nonprofit joint-stock company.

What happened at FIZMAT in Almaty

On October 14, it became known that nearly 50 FIZMAT students in Almaty had been hospitalized with symptoms of an acute intestinal infection.

Following the incident, the school temporarily switched classes to an online format. The boarding school and food service unit were suspended, while sanitary and epidemiological specialists inspected the buildings and collected samples for laboratory testing.

It was also reported that Almaty police opened a criminal case over the mass poisoning of students at FIZMAT.

During the sanitary and epidemiological investigation, specialists found microbial contamination in some prepared meals, coliform bacteria in food samples and swabs from dishes. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in four food service employees.