Named by her parents, her name, which translates from Abay’s language as "sweet soul," reflected her being the youngest and only daughter
With a fair complexion, brown eyes, and a delicate and fragile appearance, she lived up to her name and was their true delight. Growing up alongside her brothers, Balzhan was raised like a boy and went to school following them. During those half-starved times in the village, adults often involved children in fieldwork. At sunrise, they were taken to weed the beet fields to finish in time for school, which began at nine in the morning
This necessity led little Balzhan to early understand the value of hard work. This period likely shaped her character, later recognized as a strong life backbone, leading to responsible positions. Balzhan dreamt of becoming a teacher. Curious and mature beyond her years, she pleased her parents and teachers, earning the affectionate nickname "aqyldas," meaning counselor.
Balzhan Bulktikova Bultrikova was born on November 15, 1921, in the village of Kasik in the Jambyl region of the Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. She was the youngest child in a family with two older brothers and from a young age aspired to be a teacher to avoid laboring in the beet fields.
She attended the local school and, after sixth grade, began teaching literacy to adults. As the top student in her school, Bultrikova won a gold medal and traveled to Moscow.
Already after the sixth grade, Balzhan participated in literacy eradication work, teaching adults to read and write in her spare time. As the top student in her school, she was rewarded with a trip to Moscow. Happy but anxious about her lack of Russian, she graduated with a gold medal and went to study in Almaty. Achieving her dream, she became a student of the Faculty of Kazakh Language and Literature at the Teacher’s Institute. She successfully passed the entrance exams, aided by Lyubov Alexandrovna Fedulova, a teacher exiled from Leningrad due to her repressed parents. When asked later what a teacher should be like, Balzhan answered without hesitation: "Like Fedulova – educated, patient, and attentive".
In her first year, Balzhan became a Stalin scholarship holder, a recognition of her academic excellence. The usual scholarship was 30 rubles, while the Stalin scholarship was 500. Alongside her studies, social work became a part of her life. Sociable, friendly, and helpful, she remained the same Balzhan, assisting her classmates with their studies, enduring life’s hardships with them, caring for her parents, and maintaining friendships, handling everything with calm and thorough dedication.
During her studies, she met and married Iskander Kozhabaev, one of the first Kazakhs to defend a candidate dissertation. Graduating with honors in 1941, she continued her education at the Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abay, studying language and literature. Due to the war, she switched to correspondence courses, completing her education with honors in 1943.
Within a few months, she was recalled and appointed director of Secondary School No. 12 in Almaty, the city's only Kazakh school. Balzhan was only 21 years old at the time. This was a serious life test, which she had to pass with dignity.
The wartime itself imposed special responsibilities. As the young school director, she faced many challenges, including a teacher shortage. She had to solve all issues, even those not typically handled by women. Gradually, she gained management experience. She needed to set the tone, work hard, and learn for the sake of the country, bringing victory closer. Her team achieved this by following their leader.
The school lived in rhythm with the whole country. In every lesson, students were informed about the courage and heroism of Soviet soldiers, including Kazakhstani fighters onthe front lines and behind enemy lines. The school staff collected funds for the national defense fund,prepared gifts, and warm clothes for Panfilov's soldiers.
At the same time, the school staff focused on mastering the curriculum and student performance. To the credit of the teachers, the school was well-regarded in the city. Alongside its growing reputation, recognition of Bultrikova's merits as an exceptional educator, smart leader, and, as we say today, an effective manager, increased.
The experience she gained proved valuable when in 1949 she was elected chairperson of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Workers of Secondary and Primary Schools of the Kazakh SSR. This was her first responsible post in her political career, paving the way for her future roles in government. Her ability to take on issues, accurately assess situations, consider collective opinions, and patiently address shortcomings by convincing with words and actions developed over the years
It's no coincidence that at 34, Balzhan Bultrikova was appointed Minister of Social Security of Kazakhstan. For that time, it was rare for a young woman to be promoted to a high government position. Before her appointment, she was called to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. For 11 years, from 1955 to 1966, she dedicated herself to the social security system of the republic. Many families had lost breadwinners after the war; those who returned alive needed treatment and rehabilitation. Orphans, disabled people, the elderly, and many other vulnerable groups awaited help and care from the state.
This assistance and care became the primary focus of the minister and her ministry. As her daughters recall, early childhood memories include seeing "disabled people waiting for their mother's reception" every day. She always helped them. A neighboring veteran who lost his leg in the war recounted receiving keys to a new "Zaporozhets" with manual controls from Bultrikova. She did a lot for the disabled: schools and workshops for the blind and deaf, a prosthetics plant, kindergartens, and nurseries. She empathized with others' pain. She earned people's gratitude when, under her direct supervision, the first prosthetic-orthopedic plant and a nursing home were built in Almaty. A new building was also constructed for the ministry itself. Her tenure as Minister of Social Security shaped her as a stateswoman.
Despite her compassion and assistance to others, she could not understand or accept requests to place elderly parents in nursing homes. No one can now say how much patience it took to hold a calm, long conversation with such visitors to dissuade them from this wrong step.Family and care remained her core values, sacred to any person. At work, she was a minister, but at home, she was a loving mother, faithful wife, and cherished daughter.
In those years, her wise and kind mother-in-law Bubusara was agreat support in household affairs and child-rearing,helping her balance work and family life. And of course,her beloved husband and father of her children, Iskander,whose scientific and teaching work was equally demanding.
Our hero
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