The Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute begins research work together with UNESCO
and the National Academy of Education on how to Integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into Current and Future Educational Reforms in Kazakhstan
The Ministry of Education has launched a series of educational measures to update the primary
and secondary educational system in Kazakhstan. By 2025, they plan of update and finalize the
school education standards for the phased implementation of 12-year education. To align with
these changes there is currently a review of educational content and programs, methods and
approaches to learning and education. Consequentially, updated educational content will be
added for the development of pupils with functional literacy and competitiveness in all aspects of
life including national and universal values. The values, skills and competencies in subject fields
will be added. These values and skills will be defined in the curriculum that teaches the subject,
the subject curriculum is the basis of the standard curriculum.
Moreover, the government of Kazakhstan signed on to and promotes the implementation
of the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030, including Goal 4.7 ensuring that all learners
acquire the knowledge, skills and values needed to contribute to sustainable development. There
has also been a recent initiative to create a Council on Environmental Education whose goal is
the integrate sustainability in educational curricula among others. (August 2020) As a result, the
Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute and UNESCO has been asked by the Academy of
Education to support them on analyzing and integrating values, skills and concepts linked with
the 2030 Agenda into these reforms currently underway. This is a unique opportunity with
political support to have a lasting impact on the educational curricula of Kazakhstan and
consequentially future generations of pupils in their contribution and commitment to the
Sustainable Development Goals.
Current Status
The Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute at Narxoz University has begun working with
UNESCO and the Academy of Education to review the educational curricula and propose
changes that integrate values, skills and knowledge linked with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development (Sustainable Development Goals) into these ongoing educational reforms. After
the analysis is complete the aim is to develop new curricula content to be integrated into ongoing
educational reforms. Afterwards didactical materials and trainings for teachers will be
formulated to support the new curricula. On November 6th, Ms. Meirgul Alpysbayeva,
Education National Professional Officer at UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office, together with the
Director Dr. Brendan Duprey of the SKRI at Narxoz University conducted a Webinar for senior
staff from the National Academy of Education and the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan on
‘How to Integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into Current and Future Educational
Reforms in Kazakhstan’. This is the first steps in a year long collaboration between the
Sustainable Kazakhstan Research Institute, UNESCO, and the Academy of Education to
mainstream the SDGs into formal educational policy.