Education System in Kazakhstan
| Education | School/Level | Grade From | Grade To | Age From | Age To | Years | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Primary School | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||
| Middle | General School, Gymnasium - Middle | 5 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 5 | ||
| Secondary | Secondary School, Lyceum, Gymnasium | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 2 | Certificate/diploma awarded: Atestat o Srednem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Complete Secondary Education) | |
| Vocational | Professional Lyceum, Vocational School | 11 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 2 | Certificate/diploma awarded: Diplom o Srednem Spetsialnom Obrazovanii (Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education) | |
| Vocational | Professional College, Vocational School | 10 | 15 | 19 | 4 | Certificate/diploma awarded: Diplom o Srednem Spetsialnom Obrazovanii (Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education) | ||
| Tertiary | Diploma of Specialist, Bachelor | 4 | ||||||
| Tertiary | Graduate Education, Master's | 2 | 2 years of study after Bachelor's degree program. | |||||
| Tertiary | PhD, Doctorate (Doktoratura) | 3 | Kandidat Nauk (Candidate of Sciences) program normally lasts for three years. Doctor Nauk (Doctor of Science) program duration is not fixed (usually from 5 to 15 years). Doctor of Science academic degree is a highest degree awarded after the public defense of a dissertation considering also publications on research work in scientific magazines. It does not always have an equivalent in other countries. |
Primary Education
Schooling is mandatory in Kazakhstan and this reflects in a national literacy rate of over 99%. The 5 grades of primary school begin at age 6. Two groups of children attend morning and afternoon shifts respectively per school, in order to share facilities. The ministry of education prescribes the curriculum, and this applies to both private and public schools.
Middle Education
Students continue with their education program at lower secondary school for 4 years through to grade 9. A general academic curriculum includes Russian or Kazach depending on location, plus biology, chemistry, history, mathematics, physics, and a foreign language.
Secondary Education
There are three options for the concluding 3 years at secondary school. These include general education at a lyceum or gymnasium, vocational education at a professional lyceum or vocational school, and professional education at a professional college. Education costs continue to be largely funded by the state.
Vocational Education
An ad-hoc training company is being established to oversee the development of vocational training in Kazakhstan through an unfolding network of institutions to complement current structures. It is intended that this become a kingpin in the nation’s emerging industrialization program.
Tertiary Education
A variety of tertiary institutions attend to Kazakhstan’s higher education needs, including universities, academies, institutes, higher schools and colleges, and conservatories. Secondary school teachers complete 5-year specialist diplomas at university too. The nations 2 top universities are al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty and Eurasian National University located in Astana. Of these, the former is the oldest, having been originally established in 1933 under a different name. It has over 20,000 enrolled students supported by 2,500 faculty staff, and has embarked on an ambitious expansion program.