Teaching is becoming an increasingly popular career choice in Kazakhstan, and the profession remains in strong demand in the labor market. At the same time, technological progress and digitalization are having a major impact on the sector. Speaking at the national August teachers’ conference, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev identified professional development and strengthening human resources as among the priority tasks of the education system. According to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the conditions for students pursuing teaching degrees are being revised to meet new requirements. The main objective is to ensure that schools are staffed with qualified teachers who meet modern standards.
«Overall, the number of state-funded places for teacher training programs will remain at the current level. However, greater attention will be paid to the quality of teacher training. Work in this area is already underway. An analysis of the 2026 educational grant competition shows that interest in the teaching profession and teacher training programs continues to grow each year. In other words, competition for each available place is very high,» noted Nauzhan Didarbekova, Deputy Chair of the Committee of Higher and Postgraduate Education, Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Particular attention is being paid to strengthening rural schools, with additional support measures introduced to attract teachers to these areas. One such initiative is the With a Diploma to a Village program, which provides teachers with financial allowances and preferential loans to purchase or build housing. A group recruitment scheme is also in place, allowing schools to hire two or three teachers of different specialties. To help young specialists adapt to their new workplace, a mentoring system has also been introduced. Experienced teachers who relocate to rural areas are awarded a higher qualification category. According to the Kazakh Education Ministry, the system is already delivering results. In the first 15 days of the new academic year, the number of vacant teaching positions fell by more than 1,100.
«Thus, at the beginning of the 2026–2027 academic year, more than 10,000 young specialists were hired by schools without a competitive selection process. Of these, 2,000 are recipients of the Altyn Belgi distinction. In addition, a special program has been introduced to encourage highly qualified teachers to work in other remote regions where the shortage of teaching staff is most acute,» said Zeinep Makhsutova, Deputy Chair of the Committee for Secondary Education, Kazakh Ministry of Education.
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