Event Highlights: Launch of the Russian Edition of NORRAG Special Issue 09 "Foundational Learning: Current Debates and Praxes"
The Russian edition of NORRAG Special Issue (NSI) 09 was launched as a hybrid event on Wednesday, 18 June 2025. Prepared by Kairat Kurakbayev, Assistant Professor at the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education and Regional Editor of NSI, this edition features two original contributions by authors from the Central Asian region, along with Russian translations of twelve original articles selected for their relevance to post-socialist educational systems.
The event opened with an overview of previous NORRAG Special Issues and highlighted the partnership between NORRAG and the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education, emphasizing its significance in fostering regional dialogue on educational challenges in post-socialist contexts. This was followed by a brief introduction to the thematic focus of NSI 09 and its importance for current educational debates in the region.
An important feature of this regional edition is its inclusion of two articles by authors from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The paper by Zhadyra Adaskanova and Kuanysh Moldasan (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan) examines how skills associated with foundational learning – including critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, digital literacy, and resilience – are being integrated into Kazakhstan’s education reforms. In response to global challenges such as digitalization, climate change, and instability, international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD, and the WEF increasingly stress the importance of universal skills beyond traditional subject knowledge. Kazakhstan is adapting by revising curricula to strengthen both hard and soft skills, although a considerable gap remains between employers’ expectations and graduates’ competencies.
Irina Nizovskaya (International University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan) focuses on preschool and primary education. Irina Nizovskaya argues that foundational skills extend beyond academic abilities to include cognitive processes developed in early childhood through play, observation, questioning, and exploration. Drawing on vivid practical examples, she shows how critical thinking begins with children’s natural curiosity – their “why” questions and efforts to make connections. Nizovskaya highlights the vital role of teachers and parents in recognizing and nurturing this curiosity, emphasizing that learning should move beyond rote memorization to foster analysis, comparison, and prediction. She demonstrates how age-appropriate strategies for developing critical thinking can enrich early education and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
The event concluded with a presentation of the thematic areas of NSI 10, titled “Education for Societal Transformation”, and included an invitation for local researchers and academics to contribute regional articles to future editions.