In Kazakhstan, June 1 is celebrated as International Children's Day – a special date that serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting children's rights and creating conditions for their harmonious development.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly emphasized that children represent a strategic priority for the state. On the instructions of the Head of State, the Government, through its relevant ministries, is implementing a set of measures aimed at improving the situation of minors and forming a sustainable system of support and protection. Systematic work is being carried out in the fields of education, healthcare, social support, and legal protection of minors.

Strengthening Legal Protection of Children

Currently, 6.9 million children live in Kazakhstan, including 3.9 million school students, 556,000 college students, and over 1 million in preschool organizations. In education, in line with the President’s instructions, large-scale legislative and strategic measures are being implemented — from school safety to career guidance — aimed at protecting children’s rights and interests.

In 2024, significant changes occurred in strengthening the legal system for child protection. Three key laws were adopted, significantly strengthening the legal framework and introducing effective child protection mechanisms.

In particular, the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Education and Mentoring created a national mentorship institution to support children left without parental care in adapting to society.

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Ensuring the Rights of Women and Child Safety introduced administrative liability for bullying minors, banned the forced removal of children from transport, increased penalties for offenses against children, and tightened laws on crimes involving minors.

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on State Awards, Education, and the Protection of Children’s Rights introduced regulations for the establishment of professional foster families and improved conditions for orphans.

Among the significant achievements is the increase in the number of children placed in families. According to the Ministry of Education, 82% of orphans are now raised in Kazakhstani families. In 2024, more than 3,000 children found new homes, 330 adults became mentors, and guardianship authorities expanded their staff by 2.5 times. Starting July 1, 2025, a new form of family placement — the professional foster family — will be introduced.

School Construction and Safety

Under the “Comfortable Schools” national project, 217 schools with a total of 460,000 student places are being built across the country. To date, 105 schools have been commissioned, 44% of them in rural areas. Another 112 comfortable schools will be completed by the end of 2025.

Since 2019, large-scale infrastructure projects have been implemented in Kazakhstan, providing over 1 million student places in 1,200 new schools. In 2023–2024, 422 schools with 510,000 student places were opened.

The preschool education coverage for children aged 2 to 6 has reached 93.1%, and waiting lists have been reduced by half. In 2025, coverage is planned to increase to 95%, creating 64,000 new places.

School safety is a vital aspect of student life. Panic buttons and turnstiles have been installed, licensed security guards introduced, and security protocols tightened. As of 2025, QR codes were implemented in schools and colleges for rapid access to contact center "111" — over 77,000 inquiries have already been received since the beginning of the year.

Administrative liability for bullying has been introduced. National anti-bullying programs — Finland’s KiVa and the local DOSBOLLiKe — are in place, along with campaigns like Cyber Tumar, Parental Control, and the Menin Baúyrym project.

Psychological support centers play an important role. In 2024, more than 250,000 students and their families received assistance. Mediation services and child ombudspersons operate nationwide, and mentors undergo psychological training.

Support Accessible to Every Child

In 2024, 510,000 children received aid from the Vseobuch fund totaling 22.2 billion tenge. The average amount of assistance was 43,407 tenge per child. More than 1.7 million students received free meals, including 25,000 students from private schools (grades 1–4). In some regions, free public transportation is also provided for schoolchildren.

In the area of inclusive education, for the first time, a national standard for special psychological-pedagogical support for children with special educational needs (SEN) has been developed. A systemic approach to supporting SEN children at all levels of education is now being institutionalized at the state level.

Support covers 85% of SEN children, and 90% of schools have been adapted for inclusive education. In 11 regions, 18 early intervention rooms are functioning, and over 10,000 educators have received relevant professional development. There are 121 psychological-pedagogical support offices and 504 specialized organizations. A separate law, On Comprehensive Support for Children with Special Educational Needs, is under development. It will include interagency mechanisms for family and child support.

Supplementary education covers 3.3 million children — 86.3% of the total. Across the country, there are 1,713 organizations, 380 clubs, and 800 community centers; 200 institutions have been modernized. By 2027, another 100 institutions will be opened.

Regarding summer leisure: in 2025, 3.2 million schoolchildren will have the opportunity for recreation and wellness, including 500,000 from low-income families. Thanks to the Zhazdyk Zholdama project, funded by the Qazaqstan Khalqyna Foundation, 10,000 children will vacation for free. Leisure activities are being prepared by 120,000 teacher-organizers, 12,000 students, and volunteers. Support headquarters, guidebooks, lists of centers, and instructions have been developed.

In the 2024–2025 academic year, Kazakhstani schoolchildren won 362 medals at international olympiads, including 41 gold. Every second participant from Kazakhstan returned with an award. The national team achieved a 100% medal score at the IBO-2024 International Biology Olympiad held in Almaty, which hosted participants from 81 countries. IBO-2024 received high praise from the global academic community.

The number of rural student medalists increased tenfold. A total of 77.5 million tenge was allocated for 26 international olympiad winners, and 6.4 million tenge — for 24 teachers.

Vocational and Technical Education: The Year of Skilled Trades

Alongside school reforms, the modernization of vocational and technical education continues. The main direction is shaped by the Head of State's declaration of 2025 as the Year of Skilled Trades. As part of this initiative, a package of measures has been adopted. For the first time, a position of career guidance teacher has been introduced, senior students are being awarded professional qualifications, and 11th-grade graduates can now obtain a college diploma. Already, 905 students have completed such training. In February 2025, the "City of Skilled Trades" festival was held, with over 300 events organized and 250 memorandums signed.

More than 30,000 schoolchildren have undergone professional diagnostics. The contests "TOP-100 Students," JasSkills, JuniorSkills, and the "Mansap Kompasy" campaign have been launched. 173,000 students are completing their college education, with 81% of 2024 graduates already employed. More than 8,000 programs have been developed in collaboration with employers. Over 4,000 enterprises partner with colleges, and 2.5 million students have received career guidance. Eight new dormitories have been opened. Starting from September 1, 2025, student stipends will be doubled.

All Children Under Medical Supervision

One of the top priorities of Kazakhstan’s state policy remains the creation of conditions for the healthy, safe, and well-rounded development of the younger generation.

According to the Ministry of Health, every child is covered by the medical supervision system from birth. More than 2 million children undergo screenings annually from ages 0 to 6, over 4.5 million receive preventive check-ups, and more than 1.5 million are given mandatory immunizations. All of these services are provided free of charge within the guaranteed volume of medical care and the Compulsory Social Health Insurance (CSHI) system.

Medical care also extends to schoolchildren—6,500 medical stations operate nationwide, and each school is affiliated with a clinic. Assistance is provided through a multi-level approach: from home visits and early intervention to specialized centers operating on the "from diagnosis to disability" model. As of 2025, such centers began functioning at local clinics.

Special attention is given to newborns. Kazakhstan is the first country in Central Asia to introduce a neonatal care standard requiring one nurse per infant in intensive care. An online community of neonatologists, uniting more than 1,000 specialists from the region, has also been created.

Kazakh doctors are able to care for premature infants with birth weights as low as 500 grams. Thanks to a 20% increase in bed capacity, up to 1,500 surgeries are performed annually on newborns with congenital pathologies. Post-surgery survival rates have reached 93%.

To improve pediatric care, effective perinatal technologies are being used, along with integrated management of childhood illnesses and a universally progressive home-visit model for young children based on international recommendations.

These efforts have enabled Kazakhstan to reach historically low child mortality rates: neonatal – 3.37 per 1,000 live births; infant – 6.80; child – 9.30.

Pediatric oncohematology is also actively developing. Treatment follows international protocols, including polychemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and hematopoietic stem cell transplants (allogeneic, autologous, and haploidentical). Since 2013, a total of 515 transplants have been performed, including 28 using unrelated donors from international registries in Russia, Germany, and Poland.

Thanks to innovative approaches such as intra-arterial chemotherapy, 3D modeling of "growing" endoprostheses, and targeted immunotherapy, the overall survival rate for pediatric cancer has exceeded 70%.

Access to rehabilitation is also expanding—children with hearing impairments of grades 1 to 3 are now provided with hearing aids and speech processor replacements.

Kazakhstan’s pediatric healthcare system continues to improve. Leading clinics are adopting cutting-edge technologies and new diagnostic and treatment methods.

Social Support for Families with Children – Benefits and Targeted Assistance

Kazakhstan continues to strengthen its social assistance system for families with children. Various support measures are being implemented to improve the living conditions of Kazakhstani families.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, nearly 2 million families with children currently receive various benefits and allowances. In 2025, 1.7 trillion tenge has been allocated for these purposes: 870.7 billion tenge from the republican budget and 855.9 billion tenge from the State Social Insurance Fund (SSIF). Benefit amounts were indexed by 6.5% in 2025.

Among the key types of support is the one-time birth grant, ranging from 149,416 tenge (38 MCI) to 247,716 tenge (63 MCI), depending on the number of children. In the first four months of this year, 117,000 citizens received this benefit, totaling 21.1 billion tenge.

A monthly childcare benefit for children under 1.5 years is available to non-working mothers. Payment amounts vary depending on the number of children: 22,648 tenge (5.76 MCI) for the first child, 26,777 tenge (6.81 MCI) for the second, 30,866 tenge (7.85 MCI) for the third, and 34,995 tenge (8.9 MCI) for the fourth and subsequent children. As of May 1, 2025, an average of 123,300 individuals receive this benefit, with a total payout of 14.4 billion tenge.

Working women receive benefits through the SSIF. The average one-time maternity benefit amounts to 1.6 million tenge. This has already been paid to 81,800 women, totaling 117.3 billion tenge. Monthly childcare benefits until the child turns 1.5 years are also paid—averaging 85,221 tenge. The amount is 40% of the average monthly income over the last two years.

The state also subsidizes pension contributions for women on childcare leave, supporting pension capital accumulation.

A separate benefit is provided to large families with four or more children under 18 or full-time students under 23, regardless of income.

Payments are differentiated by the number of children: 63,030 tenge for 4 children, 78,798 for 5, 94,565 for 6, 110,332 for 7, and for 8 or more children — 15,728 tenge (4 MCI) per child. Since the beginning of the year, an average of 611,500 large families have received this benefit, totaling 176 billion tenge.

Mothers of many children are entitled to a lifelong state allowance regardless of income. For those awarded the Altyn alqa, Mother Heroine, or Maternal Glory Order I or II Class, the benefit is 29,097 tenge (7.4 MCI); for those awarded the Kumis alqa, it is currently 25,165 tenge (6.4 MCI). Currently, 242,000 awarded mothers receive this benefit, totaling 25.9 billion tenge.

Families raising children with disabilities receive a monthly care allowance until the child reaches adulthood. The payment is 74,428 tenge (1.61 minimum living wage). As of this year, 111,700 individuals received this benefit, totaling 33.7 billion tenge.

Families with per capita income below the poverty threshold are eligible for targeted social assistance, which includes an additional benefit for children aged 1 to 6. This payment equals 1.5 MCI, or 5,898 tenge per child in 2025. As of May 1, this benefit was awarded to 74,400 children, totaling 1.4 billion tenge.

National Fund for Children – Investing in the Future

In addition to the medical and social support system, the government is introducing long-term financial sustainability mechanisms for future generations. One such mechanism is the initiative announced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on September 1, 2022, in the Address to the People of Kazakhstan titled “Fair State. Unified Nation. Prosperous Society” — National Fund for Children. Its essence lies in allocating 50% of the annual investment income of the National Fund to special savings accounts for children until they reach the age of 18, without the right of early withdrawal. The accumulated funds are intended to be used for purchasing housing and obtaining education.

The initiative aims to improve the well-being of future generations, create conditions for a successful start, and support the education of young people. To implement this, the relevant legislative amendments have been made.

The program officially launched on January 1, 2024. Under it, annual allocations from the National Fund are provided to every child born since 2006.

According to the Ministry of Finance, in the past year, 6,919,131 individuals born between 2006 and 2023 became participants in the program. Each of them received an allocation of 100.52 USD.

The total amount allocated was 695.5 million USD. Among all children who received funds from the National Fund, 304,815 reached the age of 18 in 2024, and a total of 30.6 million USD was disbursed to them.

In 2025, the number of participants increased to 6,921,035 children, including 324,430 who turn 18 this year, with an allocation amount of 129.38 USD.

For children who have participated in the program for two years, the total amount of savings, including investment income, reached 232.94 USD. The total disbursed amount from the National Fund reached 1.5 billion USD.

The funds are accumulated until the child turns 18, after which they may be used to improve housing conditions or pay for education. Already, over 118,000 applications have been submitted for these purposes. In particular, 63,871 applications were submitted for housing improvements and 54,270 for education.

Today, the National Fund for Children initiative represents a form of long-term state support aimed at creating a financial foundation for the future of every child.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs Strengthens Prevention and Response Measures

To enhance measures for protecting minors in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is systematically implementing a comprehensive approach – from preventing offenses in schools to responding to threats and violence online, in line with the President's directives.

Large-scale preventive campaigns are held regularly, including Teenager, Children in the Night City, Attention – Children!, and others.

As part of the Law and Order principle, the first phase of the Teenager operational-preventive measure (OPM) was carried out nationwide from April 10 to May 6. The initiative aims to protect children's rights and prevent offenses among youth. A total of about 26,000 administrative offenses were identified. The most common violations included minors being out at night without adult supervision, parental neglect, the sale of alcohol to teenagers, and petty hooliganism.

Additionally, over 800 parents who failed to fulfill their duties were registered. More than 4,000 online content items deemed potentially harmful to minors’ mental and physical health were blocked. Around 20,000 legal awareness sessions were conducted with students, and over 367 petitions were sent to local authorities to organize youth leisure activities.

The second phase of the Teenager campaign is taking place from May 19 to 31. Special attention during this period is being given to the Children in the Night City project, aimed at identifying minors found in entertainment venues and on the streets at night without legal guardians. Since the beginning of the year, over 50,000 parents and more than 1,000 business owners have been held accountable for such violations.

During summer holidays, special focus is placed on preventing child road traffic injuries. From May 20 to 26, the nationwide campaign Attention – Children! was conducted, which included inspections of school transport routes, analysis of dangerous road sections, and meetings with educational authorities. Checks were organized to ensure child transport safety requirements were met, accident-prone areas were analyzed, and road networks near children's summer recreation centers were inspected. Instructional meetings were also held with educational bodies.

Police efforts to counter crimes against children have also been intensified. Starting in 2024, a detection-focused approach has been introduced, with stronger prevention measures in educational institutions, which helped uncover more cases of extortion among teenagers. A special police response algorithm has been implemented for home visits to families with children and when receiving reports of violence. Interdepartmental mobile groups are operating nationwide under local authorities, involving prosecutors, educators, police officers, and social workers.

Efforts have been strengthened to prevent the sale of alcohol and tobacco products to minors, their presence in entertainment venues, and their being outdoors at night unaccompanied, as well as to maintain public order in places of mass child recreation.

As already noted, Kazakhstan has introduced administrative liability for bullying of minors. Bullying prevention by the Ministry of Internal Affairs is carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Education. The approved bullying prevention rules provide for legal, psychological, and social support measures for minors. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has assigned over 7,500 police officers to schools, who conduct preventive activities on a systematic basis.

Regarding the regulation prohibiting the removal of children from public transport, 59 cases of forced removal have been prevented since the beginning of the year, with 66 cases total since the regulation was introduced.

To increase parental responsibility for child upbringing, thematic lectures are held to inform parents about their rights and duties. So far this year, over 52,000 legal lectures have been delivered, including meetings with parents.

Preventive measures also cover the digital environment. The Ministry of Internal Affairs operates a Department for Combating Cybercrime, which continuously monitors the internet for illegal content. So far this year, over 58,000 unlawful resources have been identified, more than 21,000 of which have been blocked through the Cyber Oversight system.

Protecting children remains a top priority, requiring constant attention, interagency coordination, and support from society. The state is taking all necessary measures to comprehensively support children at all stages of growing up — from birth to adulthood — as well as to protect their interests, safeguard them from criminal threats, dangerous temptations, and harmful external influences.

At the heart of the country’s leadership agenda is the safety, a stable environment for development, and the confidence of every child that they will not be left without care and support.

#Education #Healthcare #Protection of Children's Rights #Social Security

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