The pilot project of voucher financing of preschool education was completed in Taraz. The results of the project were presented by Minister of Education Gani Beisembayev at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tamara Duisenova.

Voucher system in the framework of the pilot covered 160 organisations of Taraz city, including mini-centres and private institutions.

According to the Minister, due to the implementation of the pilot project of voucher financing, the queue to kindergartens in the city, which in July 2024 had 11,983 children (over 2 years old), by September was reduced to 17 people.

In addition, the introduction of voucher financing gave tangible savings of budgetary funds. For example, in two months, spending on preschool education fell from 1.7 billion tenge in July to 1.1 billion tenge in September, thus saving about 600 million tenge.

This was possible due to the principles embedded in the voucher financing mechanism itself.

Firstly, the introduced voucher financing system opens access to budget financing for all pre-school education institutions, provided they meet the established requirements.

Secondly, parents are given the opportunity to choose a kindergarten independently.

Thirdly, it is a condition stipulated by the system, which ensures, first of all, transparency of the whole financing process, when ‘money follows the child, not the educational institution’. Calculation and transfer of funds to institutions is made only after parents confirm the information in the attendance report card.

In addition, the Minister noted the violations revealed by the inspection. For example, more than a thousand children in the system did not have residence registration in the city of Taraz, 99 children were registered in gardens in other regions. In a number of cases, the facts of additions were also found.

"All materials on the facts of the identified violations will be transferred to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and action," the Minister emphasised.

The positive experience of Taraz opens prospects for the project to be extended to other regions of the country. Now the system has begun to be tested in Shymkent and Turkestan. Tamara Duisenova instructed the relevant ministry and deputy regional akims to start work on preparation for the introduction of voucher financing from next year.

"This is an effective model of financing preschool education, which will meet the needs of children and their parents," Deputy Prime Minister said.

 

#Tamara Duisenova