BAQUATTY AUDAN Project Gives Rural Schools a Fresh Lease of Life

The Tselinograd District of the Akmola Region has been selected as the experimental site for piloting new approaches in healthcare, education, and social inclusion. The success of the pilot phase will enable the expansion of this approach to other rural regions of Kazakhstan.

The pilot project is being carried out by the AMANAT party, the ESEN Foundation, the charitable foundation AÑSA, and the public foundation Baquatty Aimaq Qory.

At the beginning of the school year, a significant professional development project for rural school leaders and teachers began within the framework of the BAQUATTY AUDAN project. The project ensured that 90 management teams and 500 teachers were trained with new, modernized knowledge and skills. The training combined modern online formats with traditional seminars and provided individual support for teachers throughout the year.

Kamila Basharova, Director of Education Programs at the ESEN Foundation, explained, "The mission of the project is to ensure that rural children have access to quality education 'here and now.'"

"We could go on mourning the quality of teaching, school management, and the state of material resources. Undoubtedly, these are relevant problems; however, children require clubs, sections, and skills today. It is our task to rally people and organizations who understand the necessity and urgency of concrete actions."

The Pedagogical Excellence Center of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools provides methodological and methodological support, where specialists from the center work on developing programs for the personal and professional growth of rural teachers.

"What is important is to create a school environment where teachers focus on development: their own, self-learning, and mutual learning. It's no longer a question of external trainers developing teachers' skills, but developing the culture of a self-learning organization. It is essential to create a culture where teachers help each other grow — a culture that values peer-to-peer learning," Basharova explained.

One of the project's objectives is to form a pool of 40 trainers from among the rural teachers themselves. The preparation of these specialists began in schools in the Tselinograd District in June 2024. Work is being carried out according to the demands of the training participants and the district education department.

This is alongside a practicum for school leaders and an array of workshops, seminars, and training sessions that have been conducted, with a focus on digital skills acquisition by the teachers.

According to Tolegen Nugerbaev, Director of the Center for Pedagogical Excellence in Kokshetau, the courses will cover the teaching of mathematics, computer science, sciences (chemistry, physics, biology), and humanities disciplines. Teachers will learn how to effectively apply an interdisciplinary approach while improving students' functional literacy using digital resources. The sharing of practices and experiences among teachers of various subjects will occur within the course.

"We could not be indifferent to the project launched by the ESEN Foundation, AÑSA, and Baquatty Aimaq Qory, which focuses on providing methodological and practical support and developing public goods for rural residents. This work is similar to a clear and detailed algorithm for enhancing the quality of education in schools, with the first stage being programs for developing the professional and personal competencies of school leaders and teachers in the district," said Sholpan Karinova.

The authors of the projects within the BAQUATTY AUDAN initiative plan to establish change centers and disseminate experience in rural schools in the future. This will involve building a model "Rural Pedagogical Academy," a professional community of teachers and active parents. Other plans focus on establishing educational centers in villages and creating opportunities for social mobility for students from rural areas.

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