Results of the “Comfortable School” National Project Implementation in 2024

The “Comfortable School” pilot national project has been running since 2022. Its main objectives include eliminating unsafe school buildings, reducing triple-shift schooling, and addressing the shortage of student places in schools.

In 2024, the project’s goals underwent significant revisions. Initially, the plan aimed to construct 369 schools by 2025; however, this number was reduced to 217. As a result, the project’s funding was also cut from 976.4 billion tenge to 654.5 billion tenge.

School construction plans were reduced in all regions, especially in Turkestan (down by 34 schools) and Almaty regions (down by 27 schools), both experiencing severe shortages of student places. Turkestan originally planned to build 63 schools (49,000 seats), but now only 29 schools (22,900 seats) will be built. Similarly, in Almaty region, the target was cut from 53 schools to 26.

These adjustments negatively impacted achieving the project’s original goals. Initially, the project aimed to completely eliminate triple-shift schooling, but currently, this issue persists at a rate of 0.6%, indicating ongoing overcrowding.

Moreover, actual results fell short of the planned targets. According to government reports, 254,000 student seats were created in 2024, slightly fewer than the planned 260,600. Of the 111 schools scheduled for completion, only 105 were finished, with 6 postponed to 2025. Delays were mainly due to slow construction and workforce shortages.

Among the 105 completed schools, three lacked essential infrastructure. In Beskaragay village, Abay region, electricity lines were not installed. The Karagaily residential area was missing telephone cables for internet connectivity, and Vodny village required transformer reconstruction.

Additionally, the target for reducing unsafe school buildings was not fully achieved. The planned reduction to 0.2% was not met, with the actual rate remaining at 0.3%.

The 2024 results highlight that strategic goals were significantly reduced due to budget constraints. The one-third reduction in funding was mainly driven by the national budget deficit and limited transfers from the National Fund.

The absence of basic infrastructure in completed schools underscores major management and coordination issues.

Given current budget constraints, successful implementation requires stricter oversight of construction timelines, heightened accountability, and a transparent, clearly defined prioritization of spending.