The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Article 30) states that: “Citizens are guaranteed free secondary education in the state-owned educational institutions. Secondary education is compulsory.
Any citizen may exercise his right to be educated on a competition basis (free higher education is meant) at a state-owned establishment of higher education.
Obtaining paid education in private educational institutions shall be effected on the grounds and in the order stipulated by Law.
The State shall regulate general educational standards. Activities of all educational establishments must conform with the aforementioned standards”.
Basic goals of the educational system in the Republic of Kazakhstan are as follows: shaping up of general scientific and cultural training of students (resp. school children); social adaptation of school children for their life in the society; molding a sense of civic motivation and the love to the Motherland; meeting the society’s demand in qualified workers and experts; retraining and development of vocational competence thereof.
System of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan includes the following:
- pre-school education;
- general secondary education;
- out-of-school training and education;
- family education;
- vocational training;
- secondary technical education;
- higher education;
- post-higher education;
- development of vocational competence and retraining of personnel;
- supplementary education.
Central body administering the whole of the educational system is the Ministry of Education, Culture and Health Care of the Republic of Kazakhstan, its Committee for Education; at the regional level and in the cities of Akmola and Almaty the system is represented by Boards of Education and by Departments of Education - at the district level.
A pre-school educational establishment is actually the very first stage within the entire system of educational institutions which are differentiated subject to the age of children (day nursery, kindergarden, crèche-and-kindergarten), to the purpose (providing general development, compensating, care-tending, nursing and rehabilitating, combined).
As of the beginning of the 1997-98 school year the Republic numbered some 1,905 establishments of pre-school education attended by 184,500 children.
State-owned institutions of general education provide for realization of programmes of primary, basic, secondary education within the frame work of state (national) standards.
Accordingly, there function in the Republic 8,027 schools attended by 3,070,200 children including 7,929 schools of general education attended by 3,050,900 children. Along with the day-time general education schools there function 62 night schools, 31 full-time-tuition and by-correspondence schools and 21 training centres for adults.
Currently, quite widespread is a network of general education establishments of new type (gymnasiums and lyceums) whose number is 216 including 131 gymnasiums and 85 lyceums.
In addition the network of general-education establishments embraces the following:
- 40 common type children’s homes with the contingent of 5,006 children;
- 43 family type children’s homes with 26 children;
- 22 boarding schools for orphaned children and children deprived of parental care (they are attended by 3,881 children);
- 48 boarding schools of common type attended by 15,647 children;
- 249 school-attached boarding schools with 8,250 children;
- 32 boarding schools attended by mentally and physically handicapped children (4,853);
- 1 boarding school for difficult” children (93).
Taking into consideration ethnic needs of the population school education is effected in 7 languages. From out of the total number of schools in 3,291 schools they teach in Kazakh, in 2,406 - in Russian, in 2,138 in Russian and Kazakh, in 77 - in Uzbek; in 13 - in Uigur, in 6 - in Tajik, Ukrainian and German. In areas of compact residence of small-number nationalities they have arranged studying of 14 native languages.
Vocational education is provided by vocational-and-technical institutions. As a matter of fact it is combined with regular secondary education.
Nowadays there function in the Republic 292 vocational schools attended by 117,000 youngsters. Training of qualified workers is effected in more than 300 professions.
To provide for proper conditions for the development of versatile interests and abilities of children in the Republic of Kazakhstan they have arranged a network of out-of-school educational establishments which includes 790 institutions attended by 383,000 students. Besides there function some 107 palaces and houses of school-children, 47 stations for young naturalists, technicians, tourists, etc.; 531 schools catering for interests in music, fine arts, sports and the like attended by over 142,000 children and youngsters.
Training of competent personnel is practiced at the Republican Institute of improving qualification standards whereas retraining of scientific, methodological and managerial personnel for educational establishments is accomplished at regional and city institutes for raising vocational competence of teachers.
Scientific provision for the development of educational system in the Republic is ensured by the I.Altynsarin Kazakh Institute of Educational Problems.
System of higher education in the Republic includes 126 higher educational institutions, more particularly: 53 state-owned and 73 private ones.
List of state-owned higher educational institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Secondary Vocational education is provided by 230 secondary vocational educational institutions (colleges), more particularly, 174 state-owned and 56 private (non-state) ones.
Training of foreign students is carried on in 47 higher educational establishments of Kazakhstan. Some 3,598 students from 43 countries of the world including those from other CIS countries and those from Baltic states attend these institutions.
Terms of admission of foreign students are fairly democratic.
As is said in the Regulation of admission of students to educational establishments of the country:
“... Admitted to State-owned higher educational institutions of the country are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan having general secondary education, foreign citizens and citizenship - free (stateless) persons permanently resident in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Young men and girls of Kazakh nationality (citizens of other states) are granted the right of being admitted to higher educational institutions equally with the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Other citizens of foreign states and citizenship - free (stateless) persons without permanent residence in the Republic of Kazakhstan are admitted to the establishments of higher education in the manner stipulated by international agreements as well as under agreements and contracts concluded by some specific establishments with foreign entities or certain foreign citizens”.
