Article
Building a Healthier Future: Kazakhstan and UNESCO Enhance Physical Education Standards
In a significant stride towards improving physical education, the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office successfully conducted a series of consultation meetings from September to October 2023 across five major cities: Almaty, Uralsk, Oskemen, Shymkent, and Aktobe. These initiatives, backed by local Akimats (local executive bodies), drew together a diverse group of some 500 professionals, including physical education teachers, methodologists, and representatives from government bodies and NGOs.
The project was carried out in partnership with the National Scientific and Practical Centre for Physical Education, within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office and the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan. The initiative was supported by the National Commission for Women and Family, Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan (gender policy body).
The primary objective of these consultations was to gather insights, and recommendations, and identify gaps within the existing physical education framework. The high level of engagement, both in-person and online, demonstrated the commitment of various stakeholders to develop a comprehensive and gender-sensitive Quality Physical Education (QPE) policy.
Mass media played a crucial role in these events, ensuring wide coverage and highlighting the public interest in enhancing physical education standards in Kazakhstan.
On 20 November 2023, the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office unveiled the final QPE Policy during an online event. This policy document delineates the next steps for promoting QPE in Kazakhstan, aligning them with the recommendations obtained from the consultations.
Dr. Aliya Ilyassova, an international gender expert, said at the online presentation: “Physical education equips children and youth with essential skills and values for societal participation. Investing in quality physical education promotes gender equality, inclusivity, health, and employment opportunities. UNESCO’s QPE project in Kazakhstan has highlighted the importance of this issue at national and regional levels. As the first in Central Asia to commit to UNESCO’s innovative approaches, Kazakhstan’s QPE Policy sets a leading example for others.”
Expressing his views, Mr. Aidar Baibekov, a physical education teacher from Shymkent, stated that the consultation meetings with teachers across the country ensured that concerns and recommendations, particularly from those in rural and remote areas, were incorporated into a needs-based and effective policy.
Furthermore, a detailed report titled “Analysis of the Situation in the Sphere of Physical Education in Kazakhstan” was developed. This report provides a thorough analysis of current practices in physical education, identifies existing problems, and outlines perspectives for improvement.
In a letter to the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office in June 2024, the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan noted the importance of developing a healthy younger generation based on the experience of advanced countries in the field of physical culture and education. The materials developed and the QPE Policy play an important role in the development of physical education and mass sport. The Ministry stressed the need for further intensification of research activities, improvement of normative acts, and organisation of training seminars to improve the professional competence of teachers. Expressing gratitude for the support and joint work, the Ministry confirmed its readiness for further co-operation with the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office to promote the QPE Policy.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Maxat Baibekov
Programme Officer for Social and Human Sciences
+7 727 258 26 43 (ext. 504), m.baibekov@unesco.org
UNESCO Almaty Regional Office
