Kazakhstan has begun a large-scale restructuring of its education system in 2025-2026 as authorities attempt to address labor shortages, overloaded school infrastructure, and the growing mismatch between graduates’ qualifications and the needs of the economy.
While previous reforms focused primarily on expanding access to education, the government is now shifting toward tighter administrative management of student enrollment, stronger support for technical and vocational training, and the integration of digital technologies into schools.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the reforms are unfolding amid growing pressure on Kazakhstan’s labor market.
One of the most pressing issues remains the condition of the country’s school infrastructure.
Rapid urbanization and internal migration have created chronic shortages of school places in major cities and southern regions. To address the problem, authorities launched the “Comfortable School” national project, which envisioned the construction of 369 schools with capacity for 740,000 students during 2023-2024.
However, implementation has faced delays caused by contractor failures and rising construction material costs.
According to project operator Samruk-Kazyna Construction, by the end of 2025 authorities had commissioned 208 schools, creating more than 217,000 new student places. Most of the facilities were built in Astana, Almaty, and Turkistan Region.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously warned that even accelerated school construction would only temporarily alleviate the problem, since at current population growth rates the shortage of school places could reach 400,000 in the medium term.
Against this backdrop, authorities are increasingly turning to technological solutions. In May 2026, Tokayev signed a decree introducing artificial intelligence into the secondary education system.
Under the initiative, AI technologies are expected to serve as auxiliary tools for personalized learning, identifying gaps in student knowledge, and reducing teachers’ workloads.
By August 1, schools participating in the pilot program are expected to be equipped with high-speed internet access, while by September 1 authorities plan to approve national standards governing the use of AI in education.
At the same time, Kazakhstan is strengthening support for technical and vocational education.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, around 70% of state-funded grants in the technical and vocational education system were allocated to engineering and technical specialties, including metallurgy, mechanical engineering, energy, construction, and information technology.
Authorities are also attempting to expand elements of dual education programs involving private businesses.
According to official data, more than 4,000 enterprises have established partnerships with colleges.
However, full-scale implementation remains largely confined to major industrial regions, while small and medium-sized businesses in other areas remain reluctant to participate in organizing practical training for students.
Significant changes are also affecting higher education. Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek announced a redistribution of state grants toward professions facing the most acute labor shortages, including thermal power engineering, industrial engineering, water management, and materials science.
University financing will now depend directly on institutions’ positions in national rankings and on graduate employment rates.
For weaker regional universities, this could effectively mean automatic reductions in state funding.
Leading universities have also been granted the right to independently raise admission thresholds for popular humanities programs in an effort to reduce the flow of applicants into economics and law faculties and redirect some students toward technical disciplines.
Kazakhstan is also preparing broader reforms to its university entrance examination system. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education, together with Educational Testing Service (ETS), a U.S.-based educational testing organization, and the National Testing Center, is working on a new testing model called the Admissions Insight Test (AIT).
Authorities expect the new system to replace the current Unified National Test (UNT) by 2030. Unlike the existing model, the AIT is intended to focus less on memorized knowledge and more on assessing critical thinking, analytical abilities, and communication skills.
Analysts say the reforms reflect a broader shift toward more centralized state management of the education system and a growing effort to align educational policy with the demands of industry and the labor market.
