On February 17, 2026, the Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating (IAAR) conducted a training seminar for school principals on preparing international experts for the visit of an External Expert Panel to secondary schools. More than 40 school principals from the Republic of Kazakhstan participated in the event.

The seminar opened with a welcoming speech and a presentation titled “International Accreditation as a Mechanism for Quality Assurance in Schools” delivered by Olga Yanovskaya, Advisor to the General Director of IAAR. She emphasised the agency’s special role in ensuring the quality of education in schools across the country, shared experience in conducting external evaluations of schools, and highlighted the outcomes of expert recommendations aimed at increasing school competitiveness, defining accreditation as an important tool for the effective development of secondary education and strengthening public trust.

Zhulduz Auezhanova, Project Manager for International Accreditation, presented an overview of international accreditation standards and their key requirements. Dinara Bekenova, Project Manager for Post-Accreditation Monitoring, spoke about the role of an expert, as well as their functions, responsibilities, and ethical principles in conducting external evaluations of schools.

Gulbarshin Ospanova, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs of the National School of Physics and Mathematics (Astana), shared practical experience of undergoing international accreditation with IAAR, noting the significant positive impact of the external evaluation procedure on the quality of education, management processes, and the strategic vision for the school’s further development.

The seminar concluded with a summary of the discussions and a Q&A session. Upon completion of the training, participants were awarded certificates of International Expert of IAAR.