Photo: пресс-служба ITCOMMS
Tamyr Education Forum 2026 took place in Almaty on October 27, focusing on the gap between urban and rural schools. Teachers, businesses and nonprofit organizations mapped out solutions, and four education projects will receive grants. The proposals are intended to inform training for teachers and school leaders (drive.google.com).
What happened
The forum was organized by EA Charity fund, the corporate foundation of EA Group Holding, with support from Teach for Qazaqstan and Narxoz Business School. It marked the final stage of a grant competition for education projects.
Participants came from the Karaganda and Abai regions, Almaty and Astana. Many teach in remote schools. They spent most of the day working in groups with moderators.
В Алматы на Tamyr Education Forum обсудили поддержку сельских школ: 4 проекта получат гранты · Фото: пресс-служба ITCOMMS
What this means for schools
The proposals were grouped into four areas: the child, the school and its environment, partners, and the system. They included professional development for teachers, identifying gaps in training, and improving teaching support in schools.
Participants also discussed cooperation between schools, businesses and nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs. Social and emotional learning expert Kuralai Zharkymbayeva explained why partners need to agree on goals, tasks and timelines in advance.
“Often, a project is excellent, but the deputy head responsible for student development is unaware it has started, the school does not know which business is sponsoring it, and the business expects the NGO to reach more children than it has,” she said.
В Алматы на Tamyr Education Forum обсудили поддержку сельских школ: 4 проекта получат гранты · Фото: пресс-служба ITCOMMS
Which proposals could be put into practice
Lyudmila Gurova, a school principal in the town of Abai, raised the issue of training teachers who are new to the profession. The discussion with colleagues helped her see that the school itself could address part of the problem.
“Sometimes all it takes is a helping hand and some direction, and a person will start growing,” Gurova said. She has worked at the school for 34 years, rising from primary school teacher to principal.
The next step is to work through the map of solutions and decide which ideas can be put into practice. Teach for Qazaqstan’s development director, Akerke Sapuanova, said the proposals were intended primarily to inform training for teachers and school leadership teams.
The forum builds on the organizers’ work to support education. In 2025, EA Group Holding and EA Charity fund created Tamyr Platform, which supports education and cultural initiatives. The platform previously accepted grant applications.
В Алматы на Tamyr Education Forum обсудили поддержку сельских школ: 4 проекта получат гранты · Фото: пресс-служба ITCOMMS
В Алматы на Tamyr Education Forum обсудили поддержку сельских школ: 4 проекта получат гранты · Фото: пресс-служба ITCOMMS
