Education minister calls for visionary schools

    Kazakhstan needs to do a better job of preparing its schoolchildren for the changing global workplace so they will be able to pursue productive careers, Kapital.kz reported Education and Science Minister Aslan Sarinzhipov as saying during an October 29 cabinet meeting.
    "Technology changes every three years and replaces itself completely every five years," he said. "When [today's elementary schoolchildren] graduate, … there will be new specialisations we don't know of yet."
    Kazakhstani schoolchildren need to learn to seek information independently, understand how to guide themselves within it and make correct decisions so they can adapt to change, Sarinzhipov said.
    He recommended starting to stress the philosophical approach in elementary school.
    Kazakhstan is also developing a 12-year school curriculum, up from the current 11-year programme, as part of an effort to better ensure that children get a good education, according to Central Asia Online.