How Hub Schools Are Advancing Rural Education in Akmola Region

# Anchor schools

20 October, 2026

Akkol hosted a conference for participants in the nationwide “Developing the Capacity of Hub Schools in Rural Areas” project. The event brought together more than 20 representatives from 19 hub schools across Akmola Region to review the first phase of the project and discuss the network’s future development.

The meeting began with a visit to a participating school in Akkol. Participants learned about its achievements, teaching practices and new opportunities made possible by the project.

According to the school’s principal, Gulzhan Bapar, improvements to the learning environment are already delivering results.

“Over the past four years, our school’s academic achievement indicator has increased by 7%. This progress has been supported by new teaching practices and learning formats. Our students take part in international and national research projects and conferences every year. Our teachers have joined a national creative working group, actively sharing best practices and contributing to curriculum development,” said Gulzhan Bapar.

At the end of the 2024–2025 academic year, Zhaiyk Bekturov General Secondary School No. 3 was named among Kazakhstan’s top 100 schools.

Under the project, each hub school received equipment worth KZT 250 million, funded by the project’s partner, the Qazaqstan Halqyna Foundation. Last year, all 193 participating hub schools across the country were fully equipped, marking the completion of the project’s equipment provision phase.

The second part of the conference took the form of a strategic planning session. Working backwards from a shared vision of the future, participants identified priorities for the next five years and discussed practical steps to achieve them. Particular attention was given to cooperation among hub schools and their work with partner schools affiliated with them for joint activities and knowledge sharing.

“One of the project’s main goals is to establish systematic cooperation among hub schools within each region and strengthen their work with partner schools. During the strategic session, we discussed shared goals, exchanged experiences and identified ways to launch joint projects and address complex challenges in school development and the quality of rural education. We plan to make these meetings a regular practice,” said Sabyrzhan Kenshilik, Acting Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education.