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Zhaksybek A. Kulekeyev 
Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (RK)
Mr. Zhaksybek Kulekeyev, born 1957, has been a Minister of Education and Science since June 2003. After obtaining degree in mathematics from Kazakh State University he worked as a teacher, senior teacher, and assistant professor at the Almaty Institute of National Economy. |
Dear Colleagues!
Recently, the global community started to pay great attention to the quality of basis education considering it inalienable and paramount condition for the improvement of quality of life.
Most fully this approach is reflected in the “Education for All” global movement, which ideas are conformable to the reforms undertaken in our country and are outlined in the Education Development Conception 2015 approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Developing society requires modernly educated, progressive, ethical, and enterprising people who have the ability to independently make decisions, to be communicative, posses developed felling of responsibility for the nation’s destiny.
The level of social expectations is very high and this fact requires system of education to act quickly and effectively.
In 2004 the volume of expenditures on education in Kazakhstan has increased by 24.3 percent, general secondary schools, special correctional institutions for children with special requirements, and out-of-school organizations are being built and further developed.
In accordance with the commission of the Head of the State, in this year, for the first time, with the aim of raising quality of student knowledge, an independent external control has been implemented in the form of Unified National Testing. UNT combines the final state attestation of high school graduates with the entrance exams to the colleges and higher education institutes of the country. This year 76.1 percent of graduates participated in the testing, that is an absolute record for the six year history of complex testing.
The intermediate attestation of higher education students have been implemented for the first time as well in this year.
The outcomes of external control of schools and higher education institutions became the topic of a serious discussion of pedagogical community, they provide possibility for conduction of objective and in-depth analysis of reasons for the low quality of education and determining the ways of solving this problem.
Kazakhstan currently undertakes steps of preparing for the transit to the 12-years model of secondary education to the year 2008.
We need to carry out important preparation work for organization of professional training, implementing a polylinguality, elaboration of new textbooks, revival of the industry of education. The issue of vocational training and professional education is also very actual.
The key role in modernization of system of education belongs to the teacher, who should become a manager of educational process, a psychologist, and a professionally competent and creative individuality.
For effective solution of these issues we need to broaden international cooperation with the international organizations, experts, and consultants.
One fine example of such successful mutually beneficial work is our cooperation with the UNESCO that has a huge potential for the education development of our nation.
UNESCO educational and cultural programs at one side provide direct and continuous access to the advanced methods and experience of other countries in the field of education, science, and culture, and on the other provide possibility for disseminating Kazakhstan experience in other countries.
I am confident that this cooperation is brining real results today and at the same time is perspective-oriented one and that it will contribute for the development of quality of education and achieving Education for All global goals.