Kazakhstan is expanding its programmes of state support for children, ranging from savings accumulated through the National Fund to free extracurricular clubs, sports programmes and incentives for winners of international academic olympiads. Over 600,000 children in the country have already received vouchers for supplementary education, while Kazakhstani schoolchildren have won more than 1,000 medals at international competitions. What opportunities are available to children and their parents? Read the overview prepared by El.kz based on information provided by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
“National Fund for Children”: Nearly USD 2.5 bln credited to Kazakhstani children
The idea of ensuring a fair distribution of national wealth was announced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his 2022 State of the Nation Address. One of the key initiatives to implement this principle was the “National Fund for Children” programme, which provides for annual allocations to citizens of Kazakhstan from birth until they reach the age of majority.
The programme has been implemented since February 2024. Under the programme, an amount equivalent to 50% of the average annual investment income of the National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan is allocated to children each year. The savings are intended to provide young citizens with a financial foundation as they transition to adulthood.
Since the programme was launched, USD 2,488.1 million has been allocated to children across the country. In 2026, 6.92 million children participated in the programme. Of the total amount, USD 109.7 million was allocated to citizens who had reached the age of majority, representing 772,100 individuals.
In 2026, USD 130.71 was credited to each child. For children who have participated in the programme for three years, total savings, including investment income, have reached USD 370.56.
The programme is gradually moving from the accumulation of savings towards their practical use. As of 1 September 2026, 365,967 young Kazakhstani citizens had received payments from their targeted savings, totalling more than USD 76 million.
Of these funds, more than USD 50 million was allocated to improving housing conditions, while over USD 25 million was used to pay for education.
The programme enables children in Kazakhstan to participate directly in the distribution of investment income generated from the country’s national resources. Upon reaching the age of majority, beneficiaries may use their accumulated funds to finance their education or improve their housing conditions.
Over 2.2 mln children attend free clubs and sports programmes
At the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan is systematically expanding opportunities for children’s all-round development, including access to free sports programmes and creative clubs
Currently, approximately 3.5 million children, or 90% of all schoolchildren, participate in supplementary education. Of these, 2.2 million attend free extracurricular clubs and sports programmes.
The network of supplementary education providers continues to expand. There are currently approximately 2,896 organisations delivering such services. Particular attention is being paid to ensuring access for children in rural areas, learners with special educational needs and children from socially vulnerable groups.
In rural areas, 1,000 community centres have been established, enabling schools to use their facilities to provide activities for children after regular classes.
The development of children’s sport is another key area. Approximately 2.2 million children participate in sporting activities. They attend school sports clubs, supplementary education organisations and sports schools, and compete in the National School League.
Supplementary education also helps promote the values of the unified Adal Azamat character education programme, the principles of “Law and Order” and the culture of Taza Kazakhstan (“Clean Kazakhstan”).
These values are brought to life for children through volunteer projects, school theatre groups, debate clubs, environmental initiatives, sports teams, the study of local history and collaborative technical projects.
Educational outcomes are achieved when children make independent decisions, take responsibility for collective activities, follow rules, respect their peers and recognise the value of their own efforts.
Expanding access to free supplementary education helps children develop their abilities, supports their social integration and creates favourable conditions for their upbringing and all-round development.
Over 600,000 children have received supplementary education vouchers
To ensure equal opportunities, Kazakhstan has been gradually introducing a unified voucher-based funding mechanism for supplementary education since 2025, based on the principle of “one voucher, one child”.
Since June 2025, a unified voucher system has been operating on a pilot basis, covering sports, creative activities and other areas of supplementary education.
To date, more than 600,000 children have received vouchers for supplementary education.
The project is being implemented in six regions: the cities of Astana and Shymkent, as well as the Karaganda, Aktobe, Atyrau and Kyzylorda regions.
The primary objectives of the mechanism are to improve access to supplementary education, ensure that public funding is allocated to intended beneficiaries and increase the transparency of budgetary allocations.
The voucher-based model is designed to streamline the provision of supplementary education services and expand opportunities for children to choose activities in line with their interests and abilities.
This approach is particularly important for ensuring equal opportunities regardless of a family’s financial circumstances, place of residence or a child’s educational needs.
Work is also underway to introduce a Unified State Commissioning Mechanism for supplementary education.
The new approaches are expected to make funding more targeted and transparent, establish common rules, integrate information systems and introduce uniform requirements for learning outcomes
The development of the voucher system is aimed at improving the framework for state support for supplementary education, increasing the efficiency of public expenditure and ensuring that extracurricular clubs and sports programmes are accessible to children.
From 2027, Supplementary Education Is Planned to Become Accessible to Every Child
Kazakhstan’s strategic objective is to move beyond expanding the network of supplementary education providers towards ensuring that every child has genuine opportunities to choose high-quality, affordable activities.
Universal coverage means that every child should have the opportunity to participate in at least one high-quality supplementary education programme, regardless of family income, place of residence, health status or educational needs.
The Concept for the Development of Preschool, Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education for 2023–2029 envisages supplementary education coverage of 95% of children in 2026 and 100% from 2027 onwards.
Further development of supplementary education infrastructure is planned to achieve these targets.
By the end of 2027, construction of at least 100 major facilities is planned, including schoolchildren’s palaces, young technicians’ stations, children’s technology parks, music schools and art schools.
Particular attention is being paid to reducing disparities in access to supplementary education between urban and rural children and creating appropriate conditions for children with special educational needs.
The Children of Kazakhstan Concept for 2026–2030 provides for the opening of free extracurricular clubs and activity groups at cultural centres and rural community clubs. It also envisages the inclusion of children with special educational needs in all extracurricular and out-of-school activities.
The implementation of these measures is expected to ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate regularly in safe, meaningful activities of their choice.
At the same time, the quality, safety, diversity and accessibility of services are becoming key criteria for the development of supplementary education.
Achieving universal coverage of supplementary education by 2027 is intended to mark an important milestone in establishing a system of equal opportunities for developing the abilities and talents of children across Kazakhstan.
Approximately 1.5 Million Schoolchildren Participated in Olympiads and Competitions
Supporting talented and gifted children remains one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s state policy.
Under the instructions of the Head of State, one-off state cash awards are provided to winners of international subject olympiads. The awards amount to 1,500 monthly calculation indices (MCIs) for a gold medal, 1,000 MCIs for a silver medal and 500 MCIs for a bronze medal.
Cash awards are also provided to teacher-mentors who prepare winners and prize-winners. The respective amounts are 150, 100 and 50 MCIs.
In addition, winners and prize-winners of international subject olympiads have been granted the opportunity to enrol at higher education institutions in Kazakhstan under state-funded educational grant schemes without taking the Unified National Testing (UNT). Similar opportunities are available to prize-winners of international creative competitions and sporting events.
In 2026, the support system was further expanded. At the instruction of the President, the cash award mechanism was extended to winners and prize-winners of international scientific project competitions. The relevant amendments to the regulatory acts have already been adopted.
