Republican Online Forum "INVESTING IN CHILDHOOD" on the theme "Nazipa Kulzhanova and National Preschool Pedagogy"

The forum's main aim was to identify priority directions for developing the preschool education system, to improve upbringing grounded in national values, and to effectively integrate Nazipa Kulzhanova's pedagogical legacy into the contemporary educational process. Participants included representatives of the Institute for Early Childhood Development (a state institution under the Ministry of Education), some 500 preschool education scholars from every region of the country, preschool education specialists from regional education departments, methodologists from provincial and municipal methodological centres and offices, and directors, methodologists, caregivers, and teachers of private preschool organizations. The forum opened with introductory remarks from the organizers. Delivering the welcome address, Mariya Nayatovna Yermanova, Director of the Institute for Early Childhood Development, highlighted the importance of evidence-based approaches to improving the quality of preschool education. Kulyanda Ualikhanovna Batyrbekova, President of the BilimInvest Association, addressed the question of upbringing rooted in national values and particularly emphasized the importance of creating conditions for teachers' professional development. Samal Abdilzhanatovna Kasenova, PhD, Senior Lecturer at a branch of the "Örleu" National Centre for Professional Development, drew attention to the need to improve the system of in-service teacher training. As part of the forum, a video on Nazipa Kulzhanova's life and pedagogical work was shown, presenting in detail her major contribution to the formation of national preschool pedagogy. The main session featured substantive presentations. Saira Nagashibayevna Ziyenbayeva, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Professor at L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, set out the scholarly and practical significance of fostering a culture of work in preschool children on the basis of national values. Shagangul Aldamzharkyzy Zhanayeva, Director of the M. Auezov Pedagogical College in Semey, discussed Nazipa Kulzhanova's life and work during her Semey period and analysed her educational legacy in historical context.

Roza Yesentayevna Zhandildina, Senior Lecturer and Master of Pedagogical Sciences at Y. Altynsarin Arkalyk Pedagogical University, examined the foundations of national upbringing in the preschool years through Nazipa Kulzhanova's ideas and showed their continuity with the present day. Saule Zhomartovna Yerkebayeva, PhD, Senior Lecturer at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, gave a comprehensive analysis of Nazipa Kulzhanova's role in developing the native language and promoting national upbringing. Oral Serikovna Serikova, Lecturer and Master of Pedagogical Sciences at the Kazakh National Women's Teacher Training University, addressed the past, present, and future of preschool education and proposed directions for its systematic development. In the practical session, teachers Zhanar Nuradilkyzy Taldybayeva and Zhadyra Kaiyrbekovna Botybayeva presented effective practices in values-based upbringing grounded in national traditions. Kindergarten Director Aigul Nurymovna Skabylova also shared her institution's system of work for developing the Kazakh language in preschool settings. Closing the forum, Gulnara Omarbekovna Mukusheva, Deputy Director of the Institute for Early Childhood Development, noted the significance of the event and the practical value of the experience shared. Kulyanda Ualikhanovna Batyrbekova likewise emphasized that the forum's outcomes would make a concrete contribution to developing the preschool education system. During the event, participants put forward — and the meeting endorsed — a proposal to establish a Nazipa Kulzhanova commemorative badge to recognize the work of preschool teachers and raise their professional standing. Overall, the forum was organized to a high standard and served as an effective platform for exchanging professional experience and discussing pressing issues. It supported teachers' professional development and underscored the importance of embedding the values of national pedagogy more widely.