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Problems of Preschool Education in Kazakhstan

“There is no unified state policy in the field of early childhood development in Kazakhstan, its individual components are assigned to different ministries and departments, which is one of the main problems, since there is a fragmentation of decisions taken and their inefficiency”, – writes an independent expert on early childhood development Gaukhar Kiikova (Nur-Sultan) in an article, written specifically for the analytical platform CABAR.asia.


Numerous international studies show that problems in child development correlate with poverty, illiteracy, conflicts in society, domestic violence, chronic diseases, and malnutrition. In this regard, the period of early childhood development (which includes the time from the mother’s pregnancy to 8 years) is a matter of national security, since it affects the health, education, intellectual potential of people, the rights and safety of children. Realizing the importance of early childhood development for further human development and life, human potential development and the highest level of return on investment (10-13%),[1][2] the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) pay special attention to this area, developing holistic national policies, prioritizing the development of science, and increasing funding for early childhood development as a percentage of GDP (1-2% of GDP).[3] There is no unified state policy in the field of early childhood development in Kazakhstan, its individual components are assigned to different ministries and departments. This in itself is one of the main problems, since there is a fragmentation of the decisions taken and their inefficiency. This article will highlight the current problems of preschool education in Kazakhstan.

Fig. 1. The number of preschool organizations in Kazakhstan

Over its 100-year history, preschool education in Kazakhstan has gone through various stages associated with a change in the number of preschool organizations (Fig. 1). The Balapan program was launched in 2010 with the aim of increasing the coverage of children with preschool education to 70% and continued in 2014 with the aim of increasing the coverage of children 5-6 years old by 2020 to 100%.[4] The program contributed to a sharp increase in the number of preschool organizations through the mechanism of public-private partnerships. To increase the number of private kindergartens, the licensing procedure was abolished and the procedures for opening a kindergarten were greatly simplified. This helped to increase the number of preschool organizations, but also negatively affected the quality of the services provided. (See Fig. 1. The number of preschool organizations in Kazakhstan).[5]

Despite the impressive changes that have taken place in preschool education in Kazakhstan since 2010, there are a number of serious problems that require an obligatory solution. The problems of the sphere of preschool education in Kazakhstan can be divided into 5 main blocks: financing, personnel, approaches, science, and quality.

Financing of the sphere of preschool education

One of the main problems, which requires an urgent solution is the low financing of the preschool education sector. For 2020, funding for preschool education amounted to 0.51% of GDP.[6] The level recommended by the OECD and UNICEF is at least 1-2% of GDP [3]. According to Ranking.kz,[7] the average monthly salary of preschool education workers in the country amounted to $ 271 in the second quarter of 2021, which is 45.2% of the average salary in the country. Thus, with a lack of teaching staff in preschool education and provision of places in kindergartens for only 38.36% of all children from 0 to 6 years old [8,9], preschool educators are one of the lowest paid categories in the country and the lowest paid at all levels of education.

The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) plans to significantly increase spending on education (up to 6-7% of GDP) in the coming years, but preschool education is not given its due place in this increase. The Ministry of Education and Science plans to increase the salaries of employees of preschool organizations by 25% per year, which, nevertheless, will not solve the problem of low wages. This financial situation is the reason for the low qualifications of teachers, a high level of corruption in kindergartens, admission to specialties in the field of preschool education by the residual model, professional burnout, and unwillingness to develop, which, first of all, affects the attitude towards children (psychological and physical violence).

Preschool educators are one of the lowest paid categories in the country and the lowest paid at all levels of education.

The problem of children’s access to quality preschool education remains. Despite the figures announced by the Ministry of Education and Science, the coverage of children 2-6 years old with preschool education and training in 77%, and children 3-6 years old in 98%, getting preschool education by children is an urgent problem in the country. These figures are given on the basis of the percentage of provided places in preschool organizations to the number of children standing in line for a place in preschool organizations. However, simple calculations of the percentage of children attending preschool organizations (885,033 people)[8] of the total number of children 0-6 years old in Kazakhstan (2,306,800 people)[9] demonstrate the real coverage of preschool education and training for children 0-6 years old at 38.36%.

Thus, the problem of financing the sphere is fundamental for increasing the number of preschool organizations, the number of teachers with proper qualifications and remuneration for their work, as well as the quality level of preschool organizations in the country.

The level of training and the lack of teaching staff

The consequence of a sharp increase in the number of preschool organizations, coupled with low wages of workers in the sector, as well as decisions taken at one time to reduce threshold points for pedagogical specialties and increase the number of grants, has become an extremely low quality of personnel, as well as an acute shortage of them. The number of preschool education and training teachers, according to the National Report on the State and Development of the Education System of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2019,[10] is 72.9% of their total number. However, this ratio is calculated from the number of educators and other teaching staff. At the same time, nannies who are not considered as teaching staff are in direct contact with children full time. At the same time, non-teaching nannies are also in full-time contact with children. They have no requirement for special education, although it cannot be said that nannies do not have any influence or have no contact with children. If we take into account these employees, the percentage ratio will change significantly.

The level of personnel training does not meet the requirements of modern realities. Teacher training is still based on a model where a teacher works with a group of children as a unit, whereas an individual approach to education, supported by scientific data demonstrating greater effectiveness, requires working with an individual child as a unit. The creation of an inclusive educational environment also requires this, since an inclusive space is not only and not so much about physical accessibility, but about the involvement and education of different children, based on their personal needs and capabilities. Teachers themselves often talk about the lack of the necessary knowledge to create an inclusive environment.

Another problem associated with the teaching staff of the preschool education sector in Kazakhstan is the lack of higher-education teaching personnel with specialized education. In pedagogical universities and colleges, subjects in the field of preschool education are often taught by teaching staff with a specialization in secondary education. There is no need to talk about high-quality teaching, taking into account modern scientific data, since this area is not popular not only for future teachers, but also for university staff. Nobody receives foreign education in this area on purpose. This leads to a low quality of teacher training in colleges and universities. All programs are very outdated, giving a limited vision of child development without considering modern scientific evidence.

The theory is not being worked out in practice, since students undergo practical training in kindergartens, often not associated with universities and colleges, where there are outdated approaches and there is no scientific justification.

In 2021, at the initiative of the preschool education team of the project “Training of industry managers El Umiti”, the specialty of preschool education and training was first added to the List of related specialties for studying abroad within the framework of the Bolashak international scholarship. However, given the low popularity of the sphere, this will not be enough to solve the problem. More targeted and specific action is needed.

Outdated approaches that do not consider the best interests of the child

In modern preschool education in Kazakhstan, there is a pronounced tendency of “academization” and “schoolization”. The state standard of preschool education and training, adopted in 2012, strictly defines classes, their sequence and duration. When entering each kindergarten, one can see that at least half of the room is occupied by desks and chairs. There is a blackboard hanging in each classroom, and sanitary rules and regulations provide for the location of these desks facing the blackboard, as in school. This approach demonstrates a deep misunderstanding of the nature of the child’s development, their needs, and capabilities. Children develop through games, through the discovery of something new in the course of experiments, independent study of the world around them through a game. Kazakhstani documents and standards in the field of preschool education are far from modern science in this area. Preschool is perceived not as an independent stage in the development of a child, but solely as a preparation for school. Most countries in the world have abandoned standardized curricula (and many never had one) because standardization does not meet the individual needs of children. However, in Kazakhstan, the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science does not agree to follow international standards and be based on science, preferring not to make significant changes to the usual system, which allows to control teachers and demand reports for each day of the lessons.

In 2018, Nazarbayev University scientists published the results of a study – a case study of state policy and practice in preschool education in Kazakhstan.[11] The study included interviews with representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, directors, and heads of kindergartens, as well as teachers. The data was collected during the yet another changes to the state standard, and interviewees assured that the new changes will lead kindergartens to approaches that are based on the game, in comparison to the school classroom model. However, the standard curriculum specifying the number of classes has not been abolished, lists of allowed and approved literature and textbooks have been preserved in the kindergartens, and the child’s creativity has no room for manifestation with the “teacher at the blackboard” approach. Scientists have concluded that leaders, coaches, and educators have extremely limited understanding and experience in modern approaches, since the Soviet ideology, when individuality is not encouraged, is still leading.

Early Childhood Development Science

Decisions made in early childhood development and preschool education and training in Kazakhstan are not based on scientific evidence. One will not find a single reference to scientific research in the documents regulating the field. Civil servants will say that this is because the official documents do not allow any references, which is true. However, the main reason is that we do not have scientific research on which to base decisions. Changes take place on behalf of higher authorities, they have a certain period, which means that there is no time left for research. However, if research in this area were carried out on an ongoing basis, we would have a supporting rationale.

Let me brimg you an example from my own experience. In 2020, changes were made to the state standard again, reducing the weekly workload of the senior group (preschool) kindergarten from 24 hours to 20 hours. The former head of the department that was responsible for these changes was unable to substantiate these changes with any research data. The reason was as follows: a change in the age periodization of children, since now the older group is 5-year-olds, and it is “difficult for them to sit through for 24 hours.” This answer fully reflects the lack of understanding among the authorities that decisions should be scientifically grounded and should not be someone’s private opinion.

There are no publications in international journals with empirical data collected in the field of preschool education in Kazakhstan. Pedagogical universities in our country do not have their own laboratories in which students and professors could conduct research. The content of teacher training programs is split from practice and from the reality of this area in the world. There is still a pronounced Soviet (now Russian) discourse in the choice of literature for students. As a result, there is no research base, there are no large country studies that could demonstrate the real picture from the point of view of science, and not dry numbers from analytical reports, in which there is often manipulation of facts and figures and there is no explanation of the causes of certain problems and trends.

Quality of preschool education

Despite the outdated approaches and low funding of the sphere, there is a definite need to improve the quality of preschool education in Kazakhstan, dictated by the results demonstrated by schoolchildren in international research such as PISA. The gap in points between schoolchildren who attended kindergarten and those who did not attend, on average, in the world is about 50 points. In Kazakhstan, this gap is about 20 points.[12] The reason may be that more pronounced success of schoolchildren is manifested if they attended good and high-quality preschool institutions. Currently, the definition of the quality of preschool education and training is not spelled out in state documents, as well as quality criteria are not defined.

The Ministry of Education and Science understands the need to highlight quality criteria and create a system for monitoring the quality of preschool education in the country. In this regard, a number of measures have been taken in the past year. On March 15, 2021, a government decree approved a model for the development of preschool education and training, which laid down the directions for the development of the sphere for the next few years (until 2025).[13] This model was developed on behalf of the President in connection with the need to ensure the development of preschool education in Kazakhstan in accordance with international standards. The model defines the vector of development towards orienting preschool education and training to modern scientific data, the needs and capabilities of the child, and access to quality preschool education.

The model also includes a plan to create a system of independent national assessment of the quality of preschool education using the ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales, a scale for comprehensive assessment of the quality of education in preschool educational institutions), which is used worldwide as a comprehensive assessment tool. The first stage, which is being implemented now, is a country study of the quality of preschool education. A team of researchers collects data by region using the ECERS-3 international scale, for which the researchers have been trained and certified. After analyzing the collected data and developing methodological recommendations, the researchers will proceed to the second stage – the development of criteria for the quality of preschool education and training for Kazakhstan.

Such measures are necessary to understand the direction of development of preschool organizations and to create an effective quality monitoring system. In 2017, the state policy on early childhood development was analyzed by the OECD[14] and UNICEF, who also made recommendations.[15]

The main recommendations included:

a) improving the qualifications and knowledge of employees of departments that develop state policy in this area, as well as bringing the policy in line with international scientific data,

b) defining country criteria and quality standards for preschool organizations,

c) developing a national monitoring system and a quality framework,

d) defining standards for the physical environment of a child in preschool organizations (physical indicators such as activity centers, necessary furniture, toys and books) and the ratio of the number of children per teacher.


[1] Garcia, J.L., Heckman, J.J., Leaf, D.E., Prados, M.J. (2019). Quantifying the Life-cycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program. NBER Working Paper No. 23479. https://heckmanequation.org/www/assets/2017/01/w23479.pdf

[2] Richter, L. M., Daelmans, B., Lombardi, J., Heymann, J., Boo, F. L., Behrman, J. R., … Darmstadt, G. L. (2017). Investing in the foundation of sustainable development: pathways to scale up for early childhood development. The Lancet, 389 (10064), 103-118. doi: 10.1016 / s0140-6736 (16) 31698-1

[3] UNICEF. (2008). The childcare transition, Innocenti Report Card 8. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc8_eng.pdf

[4] Information analytical center. (2018). National report on the development of education in Kazakhstan.

[5] Information Analytical Center. (2021). National report on the development of education in Kazakhstan.

[6] Reply to an official request to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Outgoing letter from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 18-2 / 1274 dated 03.11.2021.

[7] Ranking.kz. The wages of educators increased immediately by 27% per year, the purchasing power – by 18%. August 26, 2021. http://ranking.kz/ru/a/infopovody/zarabotnaya-plata-rabotnikov-sfery-obrazovaniya-vyrosla-srazu-na-27-za-god-pokupatelnaya-sposobnost-na-18

[8] The number of children in preschool organizations. Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan. May 15, 2021. https://stat.gov.kz/official/industry/62/statistic/7

[9] Number of children by sex and age. Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan. https://bala.stat.gov.kz/chislennost-detej-po-polu-i-vozrastu/

[10] Information Analytical Center. (2020). National report on the state and development of the education system of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2019. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/edu/documents/details/141963?lang=ru

[11] Needham, M., Kuleimenov, D., & Soltanbekova, A. (2018). Sticking and tipping points: a case study of preschool education policy and practice in Astana, Kazakhstan. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 26 (3), 432-445.

[12] State program for the development of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2020–2025.

[13] “On the approval of the model for the development of preschool education and training.” Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated March 15, 2021 No. 137. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P2100000137

[14] Litjens, I., Taguma, M., Melhuish, E. & Shmis, T. (2017). Early childhood education and care policy review. Kazakhstan. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/Early-Childhood-Education-and-Care-Policy-Review-Kazakhstan.pdf

[15] Gotsadze, T., Karzhaubayeva, S. (2017). Evaluation of early child development and early childhood education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Final Report. RFP / KAZA / 2016/010 UNICEF, Curatio International Foundation. https://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/CIF-UNICEF-KAZ_ECD_ECE_EVALUATION_-_FINAL.pdf

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