State-Run Education Development Program to be implemented in the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2005-2010
The state-run program of education development in Kazakhstan for 2005–2010 was elaborated pursuant to the Presidential Address to the Nation as of March 19, 2004 titled Towards competitive Kazakhstan, competitive economy and competitive nation. The Program was called forth by the need for drastic changes to upgrade the quality of education and attend to strategic tasks set before the Kazakhstani education system amidst new economic and socio-cultural environment.
The Program is to be implemented in two stages – the first stage covering 2005-2007, and the second covering 2008-2010. Total expenses on the program implementation (in reference prices of 2004) will make up KZT 330,812.00 million. However, the most problematic issue is that of changing the mentality and the mindset of teachers as related to upbringing of the students’ individuality.
The concept provides for adoption of 5-stage education system – primary school, high school, undergraduate studies, graduate studies, postgraduate studies.
According to the draft concept, Kazakhstani children will be starting school at 6 y.o, and schooling period will make up 12 years.
Pre-school education will cover children of up to 5 years of age; its curricula will incorporate a wide range of learning games. Computer science and foreign languages are to be introduced into the school curricula starting from the 2nd grade.
In Kazakhstan, as compared to 2000, the number of institutions of preschool education has grown by 12 institutions (1 %), while the number of their students has grown by 25421 children (18,7 %), which testifies to widening gap between growing demand for preschool education and capacities to meet the demand. As a result, per every 100 planned seats, there are actually 105-130 children. Altogether, there are 22 thousand children queuing to get enrolled into preschool education institutions; about 127 thousand 5-and-6-year-olds will be covered with ad-hoc pre-school programs.
The following measures are to take place in the realm of preschool education:
- legal framework and scientifically grounded methods will be worked out for enhancement of preschool education institutions with a view of providing greater opportunities to career-oriented mothers;
- the preschool education institutions network will be expanded through construction of kindergardens and smaller centers of preschool education.
Secondary school (5-10 grades) provides general education as a basis for further, more highly-profiled, education. Encouragement of certain propensities and aptitudes will be effected through optional courses to prepare students for entering profile colleges. As of today, there are 3687 (44,6 %) schools of general education in the Kazakh language, and 2069 (26,1 %) bilingual (Russian and Kazakh) schools. The number of students at Kazakh schools has been growing on an annual basis. If in 2000 the school students studying in the official language (Kazakh) made up 52,1 % of all the school students, now their number stands at 54,8 %. There are also schools providing education in the languages of ethnic minorities – Uzbek, Uigur, German, Tadjik, Ukrainian and some others. Teaching staff of schools totals over 270 thousand teachers.
The following measures are to be taken in the realm of high school:
- legal framework and organizational conditions will be put in place to ensure smooth transition to 12-year-long schooling;
- the role of the student in the process of learning will be changed from passive recipient of information to active participant of the education process;
- new pedagogical and information technologies will be introduced;
- on an annual basis, 54 thousand teachers will be provided with advanced training courses, training of 31 thousand of them will be financed out of the state budget.
In the realm of vocational training:
- accessibility and image of vocational training will be enhanced;
- bonds between vocational training institutions and S&MB will be strengthened;
- new course books and methodology books will be published;
- credit system of education will be introduced;
- mechanisms will be worked out to facilitate employment of young specialists, their retraining, professional self-determination, including readiness to start their own business.
The system of higher education is represented by 180 institutions of higher education and 86 branches of higher education institutions. As of today, 9 universities have been assigned the status of leading universities. At the time being, out of 41 thousand of universities’ teaching staff, there are 2520 doctoral degree holders (Doctors of Science) and 11610 PhDs. The number of students per 10 000 of population grew from 257 in 2000-2001 to 439 in the 2003-2004 academic year.
Postgraduate studies include working on Master’s degree within highly-tailored programs of universities and research institutes.
The second stage of post-graduate studies represented in the concept is working to earn doctoral degree (Doctor of Science), which includes research projects. Introduction of such programs will galvanize the youth’s interest in scientific efforts and solve the problem of scientific brainpower ageing.
In the realm of graduate and postgraduate studies the following measures are expected to be taken:
- conditions will be created to facilitate Kazakhstan integration into the Bologna process;
- as a result of introduction of higher qualifying requirements for the teaching staff and for logistic support, the network of civil higher education institutions and its branches will get more regularized;
- annually, up to 100 new course books and teachers books will be worked out, and over 300 foreign course books will be introduced into the curricula;
- staged transformation of Soviet-type postgraduate education to PhD’s programs will take place; the nation will adopt the tree-staged system of higher education (Bachelor’s degree – Master’s degree – PhD);
- annual enrollment into the new Master’s programs financed by the government will make up over 2500 people; the number of sponsored PhD prospects will make up 100 people;
- in 5 universities there will be PhD programs launched in partnership with leading foreign universities with accredited doctoral programs;
- annually, 3 thousand outstanding Kazakhstani students will be granted the state scholarship to cover tuition fees at best universities of East Europe and Russia.
As a result of the Program implementation, there will be an education system created that will ensure efficient human capital development and smooth integration of Kazakhstan into the global education space.
