Four Insights About Secondary Education in Rural Kazakhstan: Gulnara Salmen and Teach for Qazaqstan visit nFactorial Podcast
March 14, 2025
Gulnara Salmen, an expert in education development with around 12 years of experience, is the co-founder and CEO of “Teach For Qazaqstan” (TFQ), a non-profit organization acting as part of the “Teach for All” global network. Founded in 2023, TFQ strives to bridge existing inequalities in education with a specific focus on the urban-rural gap. It helps bring motivated young graduates and specialists from diverse backgrounds into rural schools, providing them with training, financial assistance, methodological and advisory support. The first cohort of 39 individuals, rigorously selected and requalified in pedagogy, currently teach in rural schools in Karaganda oblast (province). TFQ’s sponsors include McKinsey & Company in Kazakhstan and Freedom Holding Corporation, a prominent financial conglomerate.
Kazakhstan is characterized by stark demographic contrast between regions and a significant gap between urban and rural school systems. Some oblasts, such as Turkistan, may have as many school-aged children as the entire populations of other provinces. Meanwhile, while there are around 340,000 teachers in the country, rural schools struggle to retain qualified staff. Needless to say, urban students often have access to cultural, educational, and extracurricular resources unavailable to their rural peers.
In this edition of Inside Brief, Gulnara visits the nFactorial Podcastto share Teach for Qazaqstan’s progress and discuss the key challenges facing Kazakhstan's education system. Below, you'll find the main insights our editors have selected for you.
The nFactorial podcast episode with Gulnara was posted on September 16th, 2023.
Brought to you by Didar Moldazhanov with contributions frorm the Editorial Board. 2 hours 34 minute episode → 7-minute read
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What Contributes to Inequality in Secondary Education Across Kazakhstan?
Urban migration causes a shortage of teachers in rural areas. Some schools go years without music or math teachers, as professionals relocate to major cities like Almaty or Astana.
In peripheral areas, children's access to resources and development facilities is limited - from sports complexes and extracurricular education to basic infrastructure like quality roads and reliable internet. The 2018 PISA study linked low academic performance to a lack of study spaces at home and insufficient resources in schools.
Salmen highlights the mixed influence of economic, social, and “hope” factors. In struggling regions, parents are often overworked or absent, children may have inadequate nourishment, alcoholism is more common, and life expectancy is lower. Lacking a tradition of higher education, families rely on children's labor and can't afford university. These conditions contribute to low societal and personal expectations, leading many rural students to forgo university for vocational training after 9th grade, while urban peers aspire to study in top universities, like Nazarbayev University.
How Do Kazakhstan’s Educational Realities Compare to Those of Other Countries?
While Kazakhstan differs contextually from the 62 countries where “Teach for All” operates, the challenges remain largely the same. In the Asia-Pacific region, where Kazakhstan belongs, it can be compared to Cambodia, a young country of 17 million experiencing a baby boom and weak social capital, facing rural-urban educational disparities and school shortages.
In Singapore, teaching is a respected profession that requires 3 years of training, unlike in Kazakhstan, where Salmen insists its status has declined over the past 30 years.
While countries like the U.S. embrace environment-driven, inquiry and play based learning, Kazakhstani schools often stick to traditional methods, missing opportunities to inspire creativity and curiosity in young learners.
How Can Education in Kazakhstani Rural Schools Be Improved?
Schools should empower students’ voices by creating environments where they can actively participate in the learning process, express their needs, and influence teaching methods. Developing critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills is important for shifting from a fixed to a growth-oriented mindset.
Teachers should focus on engaging students rather than just delivering information. Salmen believes that problem-based learning, where students solve real-world cases with set criteria, can be effective. This approach can encourage community-oriented projects that help students understand and address local challenges
School administration should emphasize teacher development to ensure that national education reforms begin with classroom improvements. They should also analyze the local needs of students, parents, and teachers to develop community-specific responses.
What Difficulties Did TFQ Face?
Out of 3,000 applications, only 500 were properly completed. Despite aiming to recruit 50 prospective teachers through a rigorous four-step selection process, only 39 completed the intensive training and joined the project. Others withdrew due to unexpected family circumstances and a lack of readiness to relocate or leave their jobs.
Baseline research in Karaganda oblast found that in some districts, parents opposed the project, fearing unfamiliar teaching and up-bringing methods. Salmen also notes the case of a past external initiative that disrupted a local system, intensifying parents’ concerns about TFQ’s lasting impact. To prevent such risks, TFQ commits to five-year partnerships, and expects to leave once partner-schools become “autonomous and sustainable ecosystems”.
Salmen highlights that Kazakhstan's baby boom, observed since 2016, adds around 400,000 children annually and will bring 1 million new students by 2025, intensifying the need for schools and teachers.
Despite input from global networks like “Teach For All”, Kazakhstan urgently needs data and studies on educational disparities to develop effective, localized solutions. In particular for rural schools. If you are a researcher working in this area, consider contributing to Teach For Qazaqstan. Visit the organization’s website for more information.
