Anchor Schools as a Tool for Scaling Educational Opportunities — Bolat Zhamishev

The "Qazaqstan Khalkyna" Public Foundation was established to address pressing issues facing Kazakh citizens in key areas of life, complementing state support measures. The foundation's primary mission is to provide charitable assistance in areas such as healthcare, education, social support, culture, and sports.

When determining priority areas in education, it became clear that special attention should be paid to improving the quality of rural education. Recent statistics confirm its decline.

In examining the problems of rural schools, it was identified that they face insufficient material and technical resources, as well as a lack of well-trained teachers or even a shortage of them. As a result, rural education has lagged behind urban education in several key indicators. This is clearly reflected in the annual National Report on the State and Development of the Education System of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the 2018 report of the JSC "Information-Analytical Center", the quality of knowledge among rural students is lower than in urban schools: reading literacy is 38 points lower, mathematical literacy is 22 points lower, scientific literacy is 23 points lower, and digital literacy is 70 points behind.

To address these issues, the initiative "Development of the Potential of Anchor Schools in Rural Areas" was launched in 2022, aiming to create a network of nearly 200 anchor schools across Kazakhstan.

A successful example of implementing this model was demonstrated by the AITAS holding, which modernized five schools in the East Kazakhstan and Akmola regions as part of its "Rural School powered by NIS" project. The founder of the holding, Serik Tolukpaev, focused not only on equipping schools with modern materials and technology but also on enhancing teacher qualifications, creating a comfortable educational environment for students and teachers. Experts from Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) actively shared their methodologies with rural teachers, promoting the exchange of experience and the adoption of advanced educational practices.

The key factor in the success of the project initiated by the "Qazaqstan Khalkyna" Foundation was the partnership between charitable organizations, businesses, and the government, which enabled its effective scaling across Kazakhstan. Joint efforts with the Fund for Sustainable Development of Education, the Ministry of Education, the NIS Autonomous Organization, and regional akimats have led to the modernization of 135 schools nationwide. Plans include upgrading an additional 56 educational institutions.

Although the project has been operating for a relatively short period, our efforts are already yielding results. Student testing has shown significant improvements in academic performance, and teachers have not only gained new knowledge and skills but also received the necessary equipment to enhance teaching quality.

By the end of the initiative in 2025, anchor schools are expected to be transformed into autonomous educational institutions. This will allow them to flexibly adapt educational programs to the needs of local students and attract additional resources for development.

The next stage of work for the "Qazaqstan Khalkyna" Foundation and the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education was the development of small rural schools (SRS), which began last year. Every second rural school in Kazakhstan is classified as an SRS. In many such schools, children of different ages and grades study in the same classroom. This format leads to a shortage of qualified subject teachers. Limited opportunities to offer full-time positions to specialists make it difficult to attract and retain them in rural areas.

In most small rural schools, teachers are forced to teach subjects for which they lack specialized training, which negatively affects the quality of education. Moreover, rural teachers often lack professional support, and regions lack competence centers that could serve as examples for other schools.

To eliminate these factors, we launched a pilot project "Development of the Potential of Small Rural Schools Using Digital Technologies" in the Aktobe region, covering 134 small rural schools. As part of the project, digital classrooms were set up for learning, and NIS developed four development models, including streaming, online teaching, a system of anchor and satellite schools, and the use of digital solutions.

As a result, anchor schools began to serve as competence centers for small rural schools. Teachers from anchor schools conduct lessons for students from SRS in both online and offline formats, addressing the shortage of subject specialists. Students from nearby SRS can visit anchor schools to study specific subjects. This creates a system of mutual support where educational resources are distributed more efficiently, and the quality of education in rural schools is gradually leveling up.

The project is being implemented by the "Qazaqstan Khalkyna" Foundation and the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education with the support of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Akimat of Aktobe region.

At the Government meeting in December 2024, the final results of the pilot project were highly appreciated. The Prime Minister instructed that the project for enhancing the potential of small rural schools be scaled nationwide.

Thanks to the implementation of these projects, children, regardless of their place of residence, receive equal opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills. A comprehensive educational support system has been created, helping rural schools adopt advanced educational practices. In turn, classes in small rural schools have become more engaging and interactive thanks to the use of modern equipment.

It is especially worth noting that the practices and methods we have tested within our projects are becoming role models for scaling at the national level. We hope that our initiatives will continue to work towards bridging the gap between rural and urban education, as constant improvement in the quality of education is a necessary condition for ensuring the country's competitiveness on the international stage.