Minister of Education Zhauldiz Suleimenova told a briefing at the government whether Kazakhstan plans to switch from 12-year to 11-year schooling, reports infohub.kz.
According to the minister, a commission has been set up to study the alignment of educational programs. This is due to the fact that under the new Constitution, Kazakhstan must have a unified education standard. Meanwhile, at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), 88% of graduates finish school at age 18. There is a trend where parents and students after 10th grade withdraw documents from NIS and transfer to regular schools. Therefore, there is now a need to reconsider 12-year education.
The minister noted that all programs, including international ones, would need to be converted to an 11-year format. However, exact timelines are not yet announced. "We cannot say the exact dates today or tomorrow, but upon completion of the work we will announce them. I think in January 2027," Suleimenova concluded.
Additionally, the head of the Ministry of Education responded to parents' concerns about the possible closure of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.