In Kazakhstan, school subjects have been supplemented with new sections on artificial intelligence (AI). The Ministry of Education announced plans, stating that the state compulsory education standard, model curricula, and model educational programs have been updated. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Subject name changes
The subject "Digital Literacy" in grades 1-4 has been renamed to "Digital Literacy and Artificial Intelligence", and the subject "Computer Science" in grades 5-11 is now called "Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence".
According to ministry specialists, this is not just a change of names. Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of digital technologies and computer science. In this regard, new sections on artificial intelligence and a total of 43 learning objectives have been included in the content of the subjects.
Changes in primary school
Students in grades 1-4 will get acquainted with artificial intelligence through simple examples from everyday life within the section "Media Literacy and AI". They will master the basics of digital security, personal data protection, and responsible behavior in the digital environment.
Middle grades: cybersecurity and academic integrity
Students in grades 5-9, within the sections "Computational Thinking and Programming", "Health, Safety and AI", will learn to effectively use AI tools in the educational process, formulate competent queries, critically evaluate the results obtained, and also observe the principles of cybersecurity and academic integrity.
Program for senior grades
In grades 10-11, within the section "Data Management and Artificial Intelligence", priority is given to understanding the principles of AI operation and its application in practice. The educational content includes the basics of machine learning, neural networks, data analysis, and applied cryptography.
The updated curricula were successfully tested in the past academic year and received positive expert conclusions. Currently, methodological recommendations for teachers on the effective and safe use of AI in the educational process are being developed.