How to build up a generation with mindset against corruption
Алима Муслиманова Журналист El.kz
Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption policy is undergoing a major transformation, shifting its focus from combating the consequences to working with the mindset of the younger generation. The root causes of the problem often lie not in imperfect legislation, but in everyday habits and parenting models. It is these factors that lay the foundation of future civil society and determine its trajectory for decades to come.
For a long time, corruption was viewed as a legal or economic issue. However, analysis of contemporary social processes shows that it is a matter of culture and mental attitudes. To raise a generation for whom bribery is morally unacceptable, approaches within the family, the school system, and the digital environment must be reconsidered.
Family as the first filter
The foundation of anti-corruption thinking is laid long before a child encounters state institutions. Psychologists note that children copy their parents’ behavior in situations adults consider “insignificant.” Attempts to “negotiate” grades with a teacher, using personal connections at a clinic, or paying a fine “on the spot” all these shape a child’s belief that rules exist to be broken.
Under such conditions, cultivating the image of an “honest citizen” is possible only through a complete rejection of double standards in everyday life.
School: From theory to practice of honesty
Today’s education system is moving away from lectures toward interactive formats. Projects such as “Honesty Shops” (Adaldyk dukeni), where there are no sellers and everything is built on trust, or school debate leagues on ethics, provide real-life experience of living in a transparent environment. By 2026, this trend is being extended at the school level through digital simulators and mobile applications. Teenagers model complex situations of choice in a game-based format and learn in practice to recognize hidden conflicts of interest.
A new social trend is also emerging: the transparency of the school itself. When students see that academic competitions are won by genuinely talented peers rather than the “well-connected,” trust in the system grows. As a result, Kazakhstani youth increasingly associate personal success not with connections, but with education, professional skills, and opportunities for self-realization. The development of startup culture, international educational programs, and the digital economy strengthens the demand for transparent rules of the game.
According to analysts, it is precisely the generation raised amid global competition and an open information space that is capable of changing attitudes toward corruption at a systemic level.
Digital transparency as an ally
The digitalization of public services and education in Kazakhstan has already delivered a significant blow to everyday corruption. Eliminating personal contact with officials makes corruption technically impossible. For young people who grew up within a GovTech ecosystem, obtaining a certificate or permit via smartphone is the norm.
What this means for the future
Forming a generation with “zero tolerance” for corruption is not a short-term campaign but a matter of national competitiveness. In a global economy, investors and talent choose countries with transparent rules.
The context here goes beyond law and order. It is about creating a new identity - the “Adal Azamat”(Honest Citizen). This is a person who understands that corruption is not just the theft of money, but the theft of the future from oneself and one’s children.
Building a society free of corruption-mindedness is, of course, not a one-year process. It requires consistent efforts from the state, the education system, and citizens themselves. Laws can punish the guilty, but only education can ensure there are no guilty parties at all. The future of Kazakhstan depends on whether we teach today’s children to value reputation above short-term gain. And that lesson begins not in government offices, but at every family dinner table.
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