"Atameken" conducted a 10-day course for teachers on the "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship" subject

In the course of the briefing in the Center of Competence, the managing director of the department of human capital development of the "Atameken" Olzhas Ordabayev, the vice minister of education and science of Kazakhstan Askhat Aimagambetov jointly with the teachers told on the implementation of the pilot launch of the "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship" school subject.

Since September 1, in 16 schools of Kazakhstan an elective subject "Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship" will be launched in the pilot mode for pupils of 10-11 grades. Meanwhile, 16 teachers have been trained at the Atameken site since the beginning of the month.

"The textbook has already passed the first stage of approbation. During the year, we will observe the educational process, refine the program and determine all the pros and cons of the textbook, so that we will introduce the subject in all schools of Kazakhstan from the next year," - Askhat Aimagambetov said

According to the Vice-Minister, the subject will not be boring thanks to the elements of gaming. 40% of course will consist of theory, 45% of practice and 15% of case analysis. Atameken jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan developed a training program for subject teachers, they will take online courses during the year. Noting that the subject will be taught not only by historians and economists, but also by the teachers of computer science, the course, accordingly, turned out to be interesting and rich.

Olzhas Ordabayev emphasized that the methodology of teaching will be adjusted within a year, taking into account regional and linguistic peculiarities of the region.

"Our mentors have developed a methodical manual, which tells in detail how teachers need to hold classes. It significantly differs from chemistry or literature. The basics of entrepreneurship are built on the great experience that our authors and lecturers received during the work on the Bastau project, which trained the population of different ages. Game projects will not require large investments or purchase of special equipment. This is more about the interaction of children among themselves; this includes games related to the ability to interact and communicate,"- Olzhas Ordabayev explained.​​​​​​​

He also added that the preparatory courses for teachers are a useful experience, in which the National Chamber tells how it is interesting to convey to the students the skills of the entrepreneur. In turn, the team of authors receives colossal experience of teachers from the regions for further improvement of the textbook. In 2019, within the scope of the subject, an electronic portal will be created, where the teacher will find online classes, materials, and schoolchildren will be able to record their success. The portal will create an online game, where children can compete at the level of classes, schools and regions.

According to the organizers of the course, the introduction of the subject in the school is not an end in itself. "Atameken" improves the course for college students and also prepared a package of proposals for universities.

"It is interesting for us to give a basic course of the economy for young children in a play form. Today, the National Chamber and the Ministry of Education and Science need to understand how important this subject will be for schoolchildren. Thanks to our trainers, students, who have already completed the course within the framework of the pilot project, have already entered the marginal business, which started to bring the income. There are projects that have earned 500 thousand tenge and even 2 million tenge," - Olzhas Ordabayev shared his opinion​​​​​​​

The Vice-Minister added that today colleges train hairdressers and cooks, who are going to seek work in the labor market. The joint goal of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Chamber is to teach students the basics of business so that after graduating they could open their own business and create workplaces.

Anna Surova from Uralsk is a teacher with 35 years of experience, 23 of which she gave the economy subject. When the subject was introduced in the school, the teacher conducted a survey among children and parents with the question: "Is the subject interesting and necessary?"

"Together with our students and parents, we got acquainted with the program. We unanimously agreed that the subject is useful. The theory is dead without practice, schoolchildren can become more confident and independent after the course and the acquired knowledge and skills," - the teacher shares.

According to Olzhas Ordabaev, Atameken's main task is the spreading of the idea of entrepreneurship.

"The more new business will appear the better. The 10-11 class is the time when you can plant the grain, and children will dream of becoming businessmen. We are fully ready to support this subject both online and offline. In many respects the "Bastau" project became the roots of this subject and content. This is already a run-in training mechanism for the teaching of people who have not been engaged in business. National Chamber has a large pool of experienced coaches who worked in regions with a simple population," - Olzhas Ordabayev summed up.​​​​​​​