In 2025, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, in collaboration with the National Academy of Education named after Y.Altynsarin of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, carried out extensive preparatory work on the introduction of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) into the state compulsory education standard and secondary education curricula of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
At the start of the project, a three-day training workshop was held for national specialists, during which international approaches to the MIL were considered from the perspective of both the Communication and Information sector and the Education sector of UNESCO, methodological principles for its integration into educational policy and practice, as well as tools for developing media literacy among students. A total of 36 participants took part in the workshop: 20 representatives of regional methodological centres, an associate professor of the Department of Pedagogy at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, the head of the Academic Programme Development Department at Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University, two employees of the National Centre for Professional Development ‘Orleu’ JSC, and 12 employees of the Academy.
Next, a detailed analysis of the current state standard and model curricula was prepared to assess the availability and potential for introduction of MIL components, which made it possible to formulate valid conclusions and recommendations for further improvement of regulatory and educational support.
This study covered the curricula of the following educational areas: «Language and Literature» «Mathematics and Informatics» «Natural Sciences» «Person and Society» «Technologies and Arts» as well as the course «Global Competencies». The analysis examined learning objectives, content structure, interdisciplinary connections, and potential opportunities for developing media competencies. The results of the analysis show that the integration of MIL can be traced in all core curricula, but remains uneven and unbalanced.
In the end, as part of the project, a methodological resource for teachers was developed to support the introduction of MIL into the educational process and improve the quality of teaching in the context of the digital transformation of education. Regional workshops for methodologists were also organised and held in five regions of the country, providing a platform for broad discussion of the conceptual foundations of MIL, identifying practical barriers to implementation and forming a professional community of specialists capable of supporting this process in educational organisations.
The methodological guide for teachers on the introduction of MIL provides methodological recommendations for teaching staff and specialists from educational organisations on the introduction of MIL into the secondary education curriculum in the Republic of Kazakhstan. These recommendations have been developed in accordance with the priorities of state education policy, UNESCO’s international competency frameworks, and the requirements of the current and updated State Educational Standards for Secondary Education.
A series of regional workshops aimed at improving the competence of methodologists on issues related to the introduction of MIL into state compulsory education standards was held in five regions of the country – Uralsk, Taraz, Semey, Pavlodar and Almaty – covering 25–30 methodologists in each region.
