As the current academic year draws to a close, 18 school principals in Shymkent have stepped down from the "captain's bridge." And this is not the only thing that has happened in the megacity’s educational sphere. At the beginning of last year, it was officially announced that 52 out of 70 schools had not passed certification, making the city an outsider among the country’s regions, with the worst education quality in Kazakhstan. Experienced teachers with twenty years of experience were unable to pass qualification tests.

Other facts have also surfaced: nearly 600 teachers failed to complete state advanced training courses on time; over 100 have not upgraded their qualification category even once in the last five years. Among them, 55 individuals with 20 to 35 years of experience could not pass the testing and demonstrate the required level of qualification. Discrepancies in data have also been identified: the number of students in schools does not match official documents.

Furthermore, in East Kazakhstan, there were widespread cases where experienced teachers could not confirm their qualifications due to constantly changing certification rules.

Therefore, it can be argued that these are not isolated shortcomings. This is not merely statistics but a diagnosis of the system – one that has called into question the very essence of education, including in the country’s third-largest city, revealing systemic problems that have accumulated over years. Is this professional deformation of an entire generation of teachers, or shortcomings in the assessment system? These questions, exemplified by Shymkent, highlight a nationwide problem.

Against this backdrop, it is no coincidence that a decision has been made to abolish subject testing during teacher certification in Kazakhstan starting in 2027. Perhaps teachers are facing a testing format that assesses not so much actual knowledge as the ability to adapt to bureaucratic innovations. One Majilis deputy remarked on this issue: if teachers are confident they are right and the test contains errors, they should seek clarification rather than silently failing.

Responsibility for what has happened lies not only with teachers; school principals have in many cases also proved to be ineffective managers. Disciplinary measures are being taken because they failed to ensure their teachers’ participation in paid advanced training courses. Some administrators are resigning one after another following a series of scandals and mass inspections. The former head of the Shymkent City Education Department, Sh. Nurgul, explained her earlier departure as follows: "I got tired of fighting the system."

But the crisis cannot be resolved through punitive measures. The situation requires not "firefighting" but the creation of long-term development mechanisms, including changes to the compensation and performance assessment system. These high-profile facts serve as documentary evidence of the attitude toward education and the real concerns of teachers. The very last place in the ranking is the price paid for years of accumulated mistakes.

Reform must begin not with yet another round of tests, but with restoring basic things: strengthening school infrastructure, creating a transparent and fair system for teacher evaluation, and, most importantly, fostering respect for the teaching profession and creating conditions in which experienced teachers will strive to grow, rather than fear losing their jobs and qualifications.

Meanwhile, during an emergency briefing on the low ranking, the deputy mayor of Shymkent outlined a number of serious problems in the education system: low quality of instruction, shortage of qualified personnel, and poor performance of target schools. He also noted that there have been cases of school principals being dismissed, including due to internal staff conflicts. At the same time, the following information was disclosed: "In 28 schools, children were not provided with water; nine canteens lack sanitary permits. What more can be said?"

"1000 LEADERS OF CHANGE IN EDUCATION"

In 2023, following the Head of State’s directive, the "1000 Leaders of Change in Education" program was initiated. This was regarded as a key initiative of Kazakhstan to foster a new generation of managerial staff in education – individuals with modern leadership and management competencies to transform and modernize the educational system.

The implementation of the program was entrusted to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The significance of the initiative has been underscored in the President’s addresses; he noted, among other things, that 332 project participants have already become school principals. The focus is on managers capable of creating equal opportunities for students and introducing innovations (including AI technologies).

The program’s objective is to create a nationwide personnel reserve for filling vacant leadership positions (principals and their deputies) in schools and colleges, simplifying appointments. Graduates will be entitled to assume positions without undergoing standard competitive procedures, to quickly fill vacancies and encourage participation in the program.

The project involves a multi-stage selection process, followed by intensive training. The selection stages consist of five steps, including competency assessment (testing), training, internships in leading schools, final evaluation, and an interview with a republican commission. Alongside this, there is three-level training (basic, analytical, and professional). The program is accredited by the European Accreditation Institute (ACQUIN) and is implemented by the Center for Pedagogical Excellence of the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) Autonomous Organization. It should be noted that over its implementation period, the program has achieved significant results in terms of both the number of participants and job placements, reducing the shortage of school principals by three times nationwide – confirming its effectiveness.

However, as the example of Shymkent shows, problems, causes, and consequences remain. Failures exist – violations of procedures during competitions to fill vacancies and during staff rotations; systemic management problems – scandals and incompetence in selecting school leaders, staff conflicts. In this context, the personnel shortage remains acute.

The news that 18 Shymkent schools were left without principals at the end of the academic year is an alarming symptom of a crisis that has been brewing for years. The fact that this incident occurred toward the end of the school year, when stability is especially important, only underscores the gravity of the problem and the need to take a closer look at what is actually happening in the education sector in Kazakhstan’s third-largest city. Therefore, this case cannot be viewed in isolation.

In these circumstances, the loss of school leaders becomes not just a staffing issue but a question of the very functioning of educational institutions. As one Majilis deputy emphasized, "the absence of an appointed leader directly affects the quality of school management, leads to a decline in education standards, and weakens teaching staff."

INTERNAL CONFLICTS AND HIGH PRESSURE ON LEADERS

The story of the dismissal of the principal of "Comfortable School" No. 143 is a telling example. The staff complained of more than 20 inspections over a year and a half. In the end, instead of helping and training the young principal, they dismissed him a month before the end of the school year.

Behind all this lies a nationwide problem: a lack of qualified managers. A principal’s salary is often no higher than that of a good subject teacher, making the job unattractive. Attempts to solve this problem through leadership training (the "1000 Leaders of Change" program) show that a reserve alone is insufficient: appointed individuals cannot cope, do not want to, or cannot work in a complex system, and new competent personnel do not arrive.

In conclusion, it can be said with confidence that schools left without principals are not a coincidence but rather an indication of an inability to establish a transparent personnel policy and healthy rotation, as well as the low prestige of the position. As long as the search for scapegoats and attempts to "restore order" through new directives continue, without changing the system of compensation, responsibility, and support for leaders, the situation will only worsen.

Ultimately, the problem is not about who exactly sits in the principal’s chair. The problem is ensuring that person stays there and wants to work in a school – which is, in essence, the front line of education. At the same time, while reproaching principals for ineffective management, we must not forget the complexity of this position. A school principal is a person responsible for everything: student performance, pupil safety, the work of teachers, and the functioning of this entire complex mechanism. On top of that, they bear the burden of endless reports and meetings with higher authorities, all while maintaining strict discipline – otherwise, they risk being labeled unreliable, with all the accompanying consequences.

All this is difficult to endure, both physically and morally. Many burn out emotionally. If this issue is not addressed thoroughly, taking into account all shortcomings, it is very likely that by the end of the next school year, other schools will also find themselves without principals. And no amount of leadership development programs will bring results.

By Akmaral ABDULLOVA