The Future of Educational Assessment in Kazakhstan: Dialogue at NU
The international scientific and practical conference “Current Issues in Knowledge Assessment in Education: Modern Methods and Intelligent Solutions” brought together representatives of leading international organizations in the field of educational testing, including Educational Testing Service (ETS, USA) and AQA (UK), as well as examination centers from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
Participants discussed modern approaches to knowledge assessment, the use of artificial intelligence in testing systems, and the development of a national school of testology in Kazakhstan.
Opening the conference, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek emphasized that assessment has become one of the key challenges in education, requiring new methods and professional expertise.
“In general, assessment becomes a very big challenge, because new additional challenges appear, which we will also need to discuss now. And we are gradually developing approaches, training testologists. Our task will be to create our own school of testology, to strengthen it, to train our personnel, to create a scientific school. Therefore, we are now preparing in terms of financial support and grant programs”, said Minister Nurbek.
He noted that several Kazakhstani universities will become platforms for training assessment specialists. According to the Minister, building national expertise in this area is important not only for education but also for evaluating the effectiveness of public programs and initiatives.
The Minister also pointed out that Kazakhstan’s growing population presents both challenges and opportunities. The number of university students in the country is expected to approach one million by 2030, which requires strengthening educational infrastructure and quality assurance mechanisms.
The conference concluded with sessions focused on data-driven evaluation, digital assessment tools, and the role of technology in improving transparency and fairness in education.
NU faculty also contributed to the dialogue. Associate Professor Anas Hajar discussed the impact of private tutoring on exam preparation and access to education, while Assistant Professor Kanat Baikenov presented research on how socioeconomic and demographic factors influence university admissions.
