Tokayev: School shortages remain one of the country’s most pressing problems

Tengrinews.kz – Speaking at a meeting on the development of the capital, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that there are no longer any schools operating on a three-shift basis in Astana, citing Akorda.

The Head of State stressed that the shortage of schools is one of the most urgent issues facing the country.

“The pace of school construction is lagging behind the growth in the number of children. Over the next three years, the shortage of student places could reach 400,000. According to forecasts, this figure will amount to 28,000 in the capital alone. A similar situation may emerge in Almaty, Shymkent, as well as in the Almaty, Turkestan and Mangystau regions. Of course, some work has already been done in this area. Over the past five years, around one thousand schools with capacity for more than one million students have been commissioned,” Tokayev said.

The President also recalled that 75 educational institutions have been built in Astana.

“There are currently no schools with three-shift instruction in the city. In this regard, the Keleshek Mektepteri project deserves special mention. From an architectural and technical perspective, these are modern, well-equipped schools. However, taking into account the experience gained, it is now advisable to move away from a single large-scale project toward the construction of high-quality, safe and at the same time affordable schools. This should become the norm in modernizing educational infrastructure across the country,” the Head of State said.

Tokayev called for improving public-private partnership (PPP) tools in school construction.

“Special attention should be paid to the development of private school education. To attract investment in this sector, systemic measures are needed, including the improvement of public-private partnership instruments. At the current stage, despite the objective need to develop private schools, cases of abuse and even fraud are being identified. Such facts point to weaknesses in licensing, financing and quality control mechanisms,” he said.

In addition, the President noted that some regional administrations had made serious planning mistakes.

“In particular, permits to open private schools were issued chaotically, without alignment with demographic forecasts and territorial development plans. In some cases, both public and private schools were built simultaneously in the same locations. As a result, areas with a real shortage of student places continued to lack the necessary infrastructure. All this indicates weak inter-agency coordination and a formal approach to work,” Tokayev said.

The Head of State emphasized that the development of the secondary education system must be comprehensive, based on accurate demographic calculations and measurable results. According to him, a fundamental revision of the existing model is required.