President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered a revision of teacher certification requirements, reports infohub.kz.
At the republican August conference of teachers in Astana, the head of state noted that teachers have submitted numerous appeals regarding the current rules. He emphasized that the system should be made clear and transparent, but there are no plans to abandon the assessment of teachers' qualifications.
"I have given a specific instruction to optimize and improve the requirements for teacher certification. This is not about completely abandoning assessment or making it more complicated. A fair assessment of knowledge is the foundation of the education system. We need a system that is as clear and transparent as possible," said Tokayev.
Now the relevant ministry must work on the issue and present its proposals in the near future.
At the conference, the president also addressed the training of future teachers. Currently, the creation of a unified system is being discussed that would better prepare teachers for work directly in schools and kindergartens. Tokayev called for careful evaluation of such changes before their implementation.
"Reform is not an initial test or experiment. It is a responsible decision and a set of measures. The government must definitely take this issue into account when reviewing the activities of pedagogical universities," he stated.
Separately, the president commented on the professional development center "Orleu". Tokayev assessed its current work critically.
"As you know, the professional development center 'Orleu' was created to support teachers. However, today the work of this organization can hardly be called satisfactory," said the president.
According to him, not only specialized departments but also methodological centers, preschool, secondary, and additional education institutions should participate in training the new generation of teachers.
Tokayev also instructed to include the values of the new Constitution, the principles of "Law and Order", as well as the ideas of "Adal Azamat" and "Taza Kazakhstan" in professional development programs.