State policy in the field of education plays a key role in shaping society, its intellectual, economic and cultural development. It is aimed at creating an accessible, high-quality and competitive educational system that meets modern challenges and needs of citizens.

Education is a continuous process of education and training carried out for the purposes of moral, intellectual, cultural, physical development and the formation of professional competence^[120].

The sphere of education is entrusted with an important social function-the formation of a person's self-consciousness. And now, in order to improve the education system in our country, it is necessary to determine the vector of the educational process and its strategy.

The task of the state is to provide all the necessary prerequisites for expanding public participation in the development of the education system, forming a civil order for the conditions for the implementation of educational rights, monitoring the implementation of legislation on education, implementing state educational standards, and distributing responsibility for the activities of all participants in legal relations in this area.

A person is a subject of the educational process and acts as a productive force in social production, so he must correspond to the level of socio-economic development of his state. It is important to remember that the level of education determines the quality of labor resources, and therefore the state of the economy.

The education system is a set of relevant programs and standards, a network of institutions and governing bodies, and a set of principles that determine its functioning.

Education is one of the factors of reproduction of the social and professional structure of society. By shaping the citizen, the education system influences the political sphere. The desire of citizens to be active participants in the formation and implementation of the state's social policy is becoming more and more evident. In this light, the introduction of state-public education management models is one of the conditions for the openness and investment attractiveness of this area, the development of civil society institutions.

Through its cultural and educational function, education influences the spiritual life of society. The formation of a common culture is an essential condition for future professional training, creates prerequisites for social mobility, and guarantees the preservation of cultural heritage.

State policy in the field of education is a set of measures taken by state bodies, political actions in relation to education as a social institution (development of normative legal acts, programs, etc.). This policy is public and open, it defines the main priorities and value orientations of the state in relation to all participants in relations in the field of education.

In turn, educational policy is understood as a key direction of the state's internal policy, which aims to create economic, institutional, spiritual and ideological conditions for the implementation of the main functions of education, including the formation of the individual's ability to self-realization, and the education of state citizens in accordance with the accepted system of values.

The state educational policy is a system that is designed to perform the following functions:

- formation of the legal framework of the industry through lawmaking and regulatory regulators of the functioning of all levels of education at the state and regional levels, ensuring the right of all citizens to receive quality education;

- conceptual and programmatic development of predictive development of the education system;

- formation of a scientifically based socio-economic order for quality education for various categories of citizens;

- creation and maintenance of a complex of services for examination and quality control of education in the state and regions;

- organization of scientific, methodological and implementation support of educational development strategies^[121].

Objectives of Kazakhstan's education system:

- creating the necessary conditions for obtaining high-quality education aimed at the formation, development and professional development of the individual on the basis of national and universal values, achievements of science and practice;

- development of creative, spiritual and physical abilities of the individual, formation of strong foundations of morality and a healthy lifestyle, enrichment of intelligence by creating conditions for the development of individuality;

- education of citizenship and patriotism, love for one's homeland-the Republic of Kazakhstan, respect for state symbols and the state language, respect for national traditions, intolerance to any anti-constitutional and anti-social manifestations;

- education of a person with an active civic position, formation of needs to participate in the socio-political, economic and cultural life of the republic, conscious attitude of the individual to his rights and duties;

- familiarization with the achievements of national and world culture; studying the history, customs and traditions of the Kazakh and other peoples of the republic; mastering the state, Russian, and foreign languages;

- ensuring the improvement of the social status of teachers;

- expanding the autonomy and independence of educational organizations, democratizing education management;

- functioning of the national system for assessing the quality of education that meets the needs of society and the economy;

- introduction and effective use of new training technologies, including credit, information and communication technologies, that contribute to the rapid adaptation of vocational education to the changing needs of society and the labor market;

- development of lifelong learning systems that ensure the relationship between general education, on-the-job training and the needs of the labor market and help everyone maximize their personal potential in society, based on knowledge and competence;

- integration of education, science and production;

- providing professional motivation for students;

- ensuring the advanced development of technical and vocational education through active interaction with employers and other social partners;

- creating special conditions for obtaining education, taking into account the individual characteristics of students and pupils.

On October 12, 2021, the National Project «Quality Education» Educated Nation» was adopted. The main goal of this project is to improve the quality of education of students at all levels of education. Main tasks of the project:

- ensuring the availability and quality of preschool education and training. In this direction, work is being carried out to develop a network of preschool organizations through the placement of a state order through voucher financing on the principle of «money for a child». In addition, a new model of child development is being introduced in all preschool organizations.

Changed the state standard based on the principle of «learning through play»;

- improving the quality of secondary education. In particular, reducing the gap in the quality of education between regions, urban and rural schools (PISA). The project takes comprehensive measures to reduce the gap in the quality of students ' knowledge.

As part of the National Project, it is planned to switch to 12-year training. It is planned to place a state order for additional education. The process will be organized on a competitive basis and in private organizations;

- providing schools with a comfortable, safe and modern educational environment. To reduce the shortage of student places, it is planned to build 1,000 schools, which should lead to the elimination of three-shift schools and reduce the share of emergency schools. 5,000 schools will be upgraded in small towns, regional centers, and villages, and safe and comfortable conditions will be created for children to study.

- providing affordable and high-quality technical and vocational education. It is planned to provide free technical and professional education in the most popular specialties. As a result of the increase in enrollment, the proportion of NEET youth (a generation of young people who, due to various economic, social or political factors, do not work or study) is expected to decrease.

- improving the competitiveness of Kazakhstani universities. Creation of 20 centers of academic excellence (15 regional and 5 pedagogical universities) and 2 leading universities based on the experience of Nazarbayev University. Opening of branches of foreign universities, which will reduce the outflow of young^[123] people.

The main directions of state policy in education.

Ensuring access to education:

- guarantee of the right to education for all categories of citizens;

- development of inclusive education;

- support for educational institutions in remote and rural areas.

Improving the quality of education:

- to maintain up-to-date educational standards;

- training of highly qualified teaching staff;

- and the use of digital technologies in the educational process.

Development of professional education and science:

- improvement of the system of secondary professional and higher education;

- support for scientific research and innovative developments;

-cooperation of educational institutions with business and industry.

Digitalization of the educational process.

- in depths of electronic educational resources;

- development of distance learning;

- and the use of artificial intelligence in educational processes.

Globalization and international cooperation.

- recognition and unification of educational programs at the international level;

- exchange of students and teachers with foreign universities;

- support for learning foreign languages.

Features of state policy implementation in education.

Regulatory and legal regulation.

The legal framework of education in the Republic of Kazakhstan includes laws, regulations and standards that regulate the activities of educational institutions and define the rights and obligations of students, teachers and state bodies:

- development and updating of legislative acts in the field of education;

- to monitor the implementation of educational standards and requirements.

Funding and support of educational initiatives:

- state and private financing of educational programs;

- grants and scholarships for students and teachers.

The role of state and public institutions:

- Ministry of Higher Education and Science, local education management bodies;

- public councils and professional associations.

Performance monitoring and evaluation.

- in the depths of educational quality assessment systems.

- conducting independent inspections and accreditations of educational institutions.

In 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science was reorganized in the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to improve the efficiency of public administration in the field of education and science. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated June 11, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science was divided into two separate departments:

Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan: responsible for pre-school, secondary, technical and vocational, post-secondary and additional education, as well as for the protection of children's rights and digitalization of relevant levels of education.

Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan: oversees higher and postgraduate education, language policy, science, quality assurance in the field of higher and postgraduate education and science, as well as digitalization of these levels of education.

In 2025, significant changes were made to the legislation on education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The main directions of the educational policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan include:

- digitalization of education: introduction of modern technologies in the educational process, development of distance learning and use of electronic educational resources;

- updating curricula: adapting the content of education to modern requirements and international standards;

- improving the qualification of teachers: improving the system of certification and professional development of teachers;

- inclusive education: ensuring equal access to quality education for all categories of citizens, including those with special educational needs;

- strengthening quality control: introduction of mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of educational institutions.

By order of the Minister of Education of February 25, 2025, changes were made to the rules and conditions for conducting teacher certification aimed at improving the quality of teaching and professional growth of teachers.

These reforms are aimed at modernizing the education system of Kazakhstan, increasing its competitiveness and meeting modern requirements.

State policy in the field of education is the basis for social and economic development of the country. Its effective implementation requires a comprehensive approach that includes legislative regulation, financial support, the introduction of modern technologies and international cooperation. Continuous improvement of the education system will ensure the training of competitive specialists and improve the quality of life of society as a whole.

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^[120] Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated July 27, 2007, No. 319-III "On Education."https://online.zakon.kz/document/?doc_id=30118747#sub_id=0

^[121] State Policy in the Field of Education, Its Essence, Main Directions, and Features of Implementation./https://textbook.tou.edu.kz/books/222/12.html/ Accessed on 03.03.2025

^[122] State Policy in the Field of Education, Its Essence, Main Directions, and Features of Implementation. https://textbook.tou.edu.kz/books/222/12.html/ Accessed on 03.03.2025