The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in reading, mathematics and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning outcomes attained around the world, and allow educators and policy makers to learn from the policies and practices applied in other countries. This country note provides a country-specific overview of Kazakhstan.

Countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have clear aspirations to strengthen civic participation and increase prosperity for all. A highly skilled and knowledgeable population is critical to achieving these goals, which makes creating and maintaining high quality and equitable education systems a vital part of regional development efforts. Results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that learning outcomes in the region have generally improved, but that the improvement has not been equitable. While countries in the region are producing some of the top performing students in the world, many other students are being left behind. This report, jointly developed by OECD and UNICEF, analyses PISA data in detail to identify the strengths, challenges and unique features of education systems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Drawing upon a rich knowledge base of education policy and practice in the region, it makes recommendations about how systems in the region can provide an excellent education for all students. This report will be of interest to regional policy-makers as well as individuals who wish to learn more about education in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine).

Kazakhstan has made tremendous progress in ensuring universal access to primary and lower-secondary education. Nevertheless, results international surveys reveal that almost two-thirds of students from Kazakhstan complete schooling without mastering the basic skills needed to be successful, and that student achievement is increasingly inequitable. This policy perspective provides Kazakhstan with recommendations about how to strengthen its national examinations in order to improve the learning outcomes of all students. It is part of a larger OECD review of Kazakhstan that is published as four policy perspectives, each examining a key policy issue.

Kazakhstan has made tremendous progress in ensuring universal access to primary and lower-secondary education. Nevertheless, results international surveys reveal that almost two-thirds of students from Kazakhstan complete schooling without mastering the basic skills needed to be successful, and that student achievement is increasingly inequitable. This policy perspective provides Kazakhstan with recommendations about how to strengthen its initial teacher education and support for early career teachers in order to improve the learning outcomes of all students. It is part of a larger OECD review of Kazakhstan that is published as four policy perspectives, each examining a key policy issue.

Kazakhstan has made tremendous progress in ensuring universal access to primary and lower-secondary education. Nevertheless, results international surveys reveal that almost two-thirds of students from Kazakhstan complete schooling without mastering the basic skills needed to be successful, and that student achievement is increasingly inequitable. This policy perspective provides Kazakhstan with recommendations about how to strengthen its initial teacher education and support for early career teachers in order to improve the learning outcomes of all students. It is part of a larger OECD review of Kazakhstan that is published as four policy perspectives, each examining a key policy issue.

Kazakhstan has made tremendous progress in ensuring universal access to primary and lower-secondary education. Nevertheless, results international surveys reveal that almost two-thirds of students from Kazakhstan complete schooling without mastering the basic skills needed to be successful, and that student achievement is increasingly inequitable. This policy perspective provides Kazakhstan with recommendations about how to strengthen its initial teacher education and support for early career teachers in order to improve the learning outcomes of all students. It is part of a larger OECD review of Kazakhstan that is published as four policy perspectives, each examining a key policy issue.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the first international large-scale survey that provides a voice to teachers and school principals, who complete questionnaires about issues such as the professional development they have received; their teaching beliefs and practices; the assessment of their work and the feedback and recognition they receive; and various other school leadership, management and workplace issues. This note presents findings based on the reports of lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in mainstream public and private schools in Kazakhstan.

The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was designed to provide insights into the availability of some of these key skills in society and how they are used at work and at home. The first survey of its kind, it directly measures proficiency in three information-processing skills: literacy, numeracy and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. This country note provides a country-specific overview of Kazakhstan.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the first international large-scale survey that provides a voice to teachers and school principals, who complete questionnaires about issues such as the professional development they have received; their teaching beliefs and practices; the assessment of their work and the feedback and recognition they receive; and various other school leadership, management and workplace issues. This note presents findings based on the reports of lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in mainstream public and private schools in Kazakhstan.

This policy profile on education in Kazakhstan is part of the Education Policy Outlook series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across OECD countries. Building on the OECD's substantial comparative and sectoral knowledge base, the series offers a comparative outlook on education policy by providing analysis of individual countries' educational context, challenges and policies (education policy profiles), analysis of international trends, and insight into policies and reforms on selected topics.

Higher education policy is the key to lifelong learning and this is particularly important as the ageing population is increasing in many countries. It is a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy and it also brings social cohesion and well-being. Countries are increasingly aware that higher education institutions need to foster the skills required to sustain a globally competitive research base and improve knowledge dissemination to the benefit of society. Kazakhstan's higher education system has made progress over the past ten years. However, there is scope for improvement in delivering labour-market relevant skills to Kazakhstanis, and in supporting economic growth through research and innovation. In examining the higher education system in Kazakhstan, this report builds on a 2007 joint OECD/World Bank review: Reviews of National Policies for Education: Higher Education in Kazakhstan 2007. Each chapter presents an overview of progress made in the past decade across the main areas explored in the 2007 report. These include quality and relevance, access and equity, internationalisation, research and innovation, financing and governance. The report also examines policy responses to evolving dynamics in higher education and the wider socio-economic changes.

This background report, prepared as upstream work for the Starting Strong V publication, offers a description and analysis of Kazakhstan's specific context and policies on the Transitions between ECEC and Primary Education, including: The transition system and its organization,professional continuity, pedagogical continuity, developmental continuity and the related main challenges.

Kazakhstan has an integrated Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system with one national authority, the Ministry of Education and Science, in charge of ECEC settings. There are four government approved ECEC curricula that guide ECEC settings and practices: Algashky Kadam for 1-2 year-olds, Zerek Bala for 3 and 4-year-olds, Biz Mektepke Baramyz for 5 and 6-year-olds, and the State Programme for Preschool Preparation for children from the age of 5-7 in ECEC settings. ECEC and early education settings in Kazakhstan are monitored by territorial departments of education and territorial departments for control of education, which operate under the Ministry of Education and Science. Monitoring is therefore also financed by national and local public funding.

In the last decade, Kazakhstan has made an enormous effort to improve and enhance its early childhood education and care (ECEC) system. It has undertaken major policy reforms, in particular to expand access to ECEC, and has increased public spending on ECEC. Kazakhstan decided to have its system reviewed by the OECD to explore the strengths and challenges of its ECEC system. The purpose of this review is to highlight the main issues involved in ensuring access, equity and quality in ECEC; and to investigate what the most effective, relevant and feasible policy options are to further improve access, equity and quality in ECEC. The report serves to provide insights and advice to the Kazakh ECEC authorities, at all levels of government, as well as practitioners and stakeholders. It aims to help them give more children access to a place in an ECEC provision, ensure better equity for all children in the system, and enhance the quality of ECEC provision for today's and future generations. The report is also intended to help other OECD member and non-member economies to understand the Kazakh ECEC system.

Many ECEC systems face a daunting challenge in recruiting high-quality ECEC staff, particularly in areas where they are in short supply, and retaining them once they are hired. This report outlines a range of policy options Kazakhstan might adopt both to attract new staff in ECEC and to retain them. ECEC staff demand and supply is a complex and multi-dimensional question reflecting several challenges: how to expand the pool of qualified staff, how to address shortages in specific regions or areas, how to recruit professionals in the places where they are most needed, how to distribute staff in equitable and efficient ways, and how to retain qualified staff over time. Policy responses are called for that can best shape the ECEC profession and the work environment and enhance the status and position of the profession.

This Data Spotlight note on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) provides a summary of ECEC policy inputs, outputs and outcomes in Kazakhstan. It uses data available within the OECD Secretariat - Education at a Glance, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the OECD Family Database - to make comparisons between Kazakhstan's ECEC system and the systems in other OECD countries. This note complements the 2015 OECD publication, Starting Strong IV: Monitoring Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care.

The effective use of school resources is a policy priority across OECD countries. The OECD Reviews of School Resources explore how resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. The series considers four types of resources: financial resources, such as public funding of individual schools; human resources, such as teachers, school leaders, education administrators; physical resources, such as location, buildings and equipment, and other resources such as learning time. This series will offer timely policy advice to both governments and the education community. It will include both country reports and thematic studies.

Vocational education and training (VET) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. How can employers and unions be engaged? How can workbased learning be used? How can teachers and trainers be effectively prepared? How should postsecondary programmes be structured? This country report on Kazakhstan looks at these and other questions.

This report evaluates the education reform agenda of Kazakhstan - its feasibility and focus - by taking stock of present-day strengths and weaknesses of the secondary education system. The report also provides guidance on adjusting the reform implementation plans in line with international experiences and best practices regarding educational change, and consolidates much of the previously dispersed (national) data on primary and secondary schools in Kazakhstan into a common analytical base of evidence, validated by the education authorities. Chapter 1 of this report provides an overview of the country, it education system and reform plans. Subsequent chapters provide analysis of and recommendations on equity and effectiveness of schooling; assessment and evaluation practices; policies for teachers and principals; expenditure patterns and financing mechanisms; vocational education and training; and a summary of the recommendations.

This OECD publication reviews the current state of education policies for children with special education needs and those with disabilities in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan. It offers an overview of the respective country backgrounds, education systems and relevant legislation, and takes a critical look at access to education for what is considered to be the most vulnerable group of children in the countries reviewed. Particular attention is paid to inclusive education policies, to the processes of identification and assessment, to overall policy co-ordination for the provision of education services, to integration in mainstream education, as well as to good practices and the role of NGOs and the donor community.

Reform of education, training and human resource development is an integral part of the transition to a democratic society and a market economy. This book gives a brief overview of regional issues and the history of post-secondary education in Kazakhstan and describes the development of higher and tertiary education in the country since the transition began. It presents an analysis of the education system, identifying key directions for the reinforcement of the reforms in light of the challenges encountered by officials, communities, enterprises, educators, parents and students under very dynamic conditions. It concludes with a set of key recommendations concerning the structure of the system and its labour market relevance; access and equity; financing; governance and management; internationalisation; and research, development and innovation.