TFQ’S STRATEGIC VISION
- Small towns and rural villages
- Isolated settlements in remote areas
- Suburban neighborhoods on the outskirts
What’s the current reality? - The Problem Theory
As 2019 World Bank study shows, there is significant inequality between urban and rural areas in Kazakhstan:
“There are major differences in wealth/poverty, employment, education, healthcare, and access to basic services along regional and rural/urban borders. Predominantly rural regions have lower education levels, lower average incomes, more limited access to clean water and sanitation, poor heating, bad local roads, and higher poverty rates." ”
- HOW DOES THIS REALITY CREATE INEQUALITY?
-
At first glance, opportunities seem equal—every student attend school, studies the same subjects, follows the national curriculum, and takes the same Unified National Test (UNT).
But in reality, not all students start from the same place. The family they’re born into and the area they live in can limit their access to opportunitiesEvidence that PISA and UNT scores differ between rural and urban areas:
- PISA results show that “rural students are, on average, a full year behind their urban peers in learning.”
- UNT: “In 2020, students needed at least 70 points to enter teaching programs. Nearly half of rural school graduates didn’t reach this score.”
- “External assessments (EAEA SE) show the gap between rural and urban students is widening every year. In 2012, rural students scored 1.82 points lower than their urban peers; by 2018, the gap had grown to 7.08 points.”
Furthermore, research shows that education is a key factor in determining economic development. In their analysis of the determinants of economic development in 110 countries, Gennaioli et al. examined the influence of geography, education, institutions, and culture. They found that education is the single most influential factor explaining income differences, both between countries and within them. The authors concluded that regional education is:
"The most important factor determining regional development and the only such factor that explains a significant portion of regional disparities."
- WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR?
-
We want to help students find confidence in who they are, build a strong sense of identity, and feel deeply connected to their communities and the world around them.
When students feel heard and valued, they become more engaged in their learning and better equipped to reach their full potential.Our students will learn to:
- express themselves and share their opinions with clarity and confidence
- communicate effectively, with empathy and compassion
- collaborate well—with each other and with their communities
- take on leadership roles
- think critically and creatively
- act with honesty and integrity
- build confidence and resilience
- HOW WILL WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
-
We recruit and select promising graduates and leaders from top local and international universities, as well as professionals from various fields.
We train these candidates so they become officially certified teachers.
Then, we place them in rural schools to teach for two years.Their role is to support the school by:
- teaching their subject for at least 16 hours a week
- creating opportunities for students to collaborate and grow as leaders
- running extracurricular clubs based on students’ interests and the school’s needs
- bringing fresh perspectives to teaching, shaped by their own education
- acting as a bridge to quality education
- becoming an active part of the local school and community