ASTANA – Teach for Qazaqstan, a part of global Teach for All educational movement, celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of 22 teachers on June 21, who completed a two-year teaching placement in rural schools of the Karagandy Region. The initiative addresses educational disadvantages and the gap between rural and urban education.
Teach for Qazaqstan graduates its first cohort. Photo credit: Teach for Qazaqstan
Building on this success, the program is expanding to include Pavlodar, Kostanai, and Aktobe regions, announced the Teach for Qazaqstan CEO Gulnara Salmen.
“This is a program that desires and strives for systemic change. This is a program that prepares future leaders who are needed for the system,” Salmen said.
“In fact, the system does not simply need people who are familiar with best practices that are being implemented around the world. The system needs leaders who understand the workings of schools and the education system from the inside, not only in city centers or the most desirable locations, but also in remote rural areas,” she said.
When it comes to impact, the results speak for themselves.
“Over the past two years, we have directly taught 3.5 children. Every day, every lesson, each participant had an impact on at least 120 students, and some even on 305-350 students. Indirectly, they have worked with more than 6,000 children in nine schools in the Karagandy Region,” said Salmen.
Wendy Kopp, CEO and co-founder of Teach for All, attended the first graduation event in Kazakhstan. Global Teach for All educational movement operates in 60 countries.
“When I first thought of this idea 35 years ago, I could never have dreamed that I would still be going on it 35 years later, or that this idea would bring me to a place like Kazakhstan. I was a college senior when I thought our generation was searching for a way to make a difference against the inequities in our country and this would be a way to do it. I’m so thankful to all the people around the world who were magnetized to that same idea that made it happen in their countries,” Kopp said.
She praised the team and graduates who worked tirelessly to build a system that serves children and empowers them to shape a better future.
“What I’ve seen is that if you keep coming together and keep growing your cohorts, ultimately, that does add up to the collective leadership we need – meaning people who will be working throughout the ecosystem around kids – some still teaching in classrooms, others running schools as school principals, others working to shift policy by working in ministry, others innovating and advocating for change from different sectors and places in the system,” said Kopp.
