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<p>Private Supplementary Tutoring (PST), often called “shadow education,” is an expanding field in Kazakhstan. Market reforms and competition from standardized high-stakes exams have increased demand for tutoring services. Although the global phenomenon of PST has been extensively studied with a focus on its prevalence and effects, the voices of parents and teachers in Central Asia are yet to be heard. This qualitative narrative study examined the experiences and perceptions of 25 teachers and 12 parents regarding PST and its roles, benefits, and costs. Parents consider tutoring a kind of investment in their children’s academic success in addressing public school failures and home study time limitations. On the other hand, teachers who have tutoring work mostly for extra income but feel job insecurity, professional disregard, and a lack of support. This “shadow” system relieves but also reproduces educational inequality, raising critical questions regarding the role of public policy, teacher professionalization and regulations, and equity. This study contributes to the global discussion on the privatization and commercialization of public services and the inherent conflicts between public and market logic.</p>

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“We have stolen our kids’ childhood”: parents’ and teachers’ perspectives on shadow education in Kazakhstan

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月23日

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  • Yerbol Sarmurzin,
  • Bibigul Ospanova,
  • Bayan Kerimbekova,
  • Aigul Dauletkulova,
  • Aray Amanova

摘要

Private Supplementary Tutoring (PST), often called “shadow education,” is an expanding field in Kazakhstan. Market reforms and competition from standardized high-stakes exams have increased demand for tutoring services. Although the global phenomenon of PST has been extensively studied with a focus on its prevalence and effects, the voices of parents and teachers in Central Asia are yet to be heard. This qualitative narrative study examined the experiences and perceptions of 25 teachers and 12 parents regarding PST and its roles, benefits, and costs. Parents consider tutoring a kind of investment in their children’s academic success in addressing public school failures and home study time limitations. On the other hand, teachers who have tutoring work mostly for extra income but feel job insecurity, professional disregard, and a lack of support. This “shadow” system relieves but also reproduces educational inequality, raising critical questions regarding the role of public policy, teacher professionalization and regulations, and equity. This study contributes to the global discussion on the privatization and commercialization of public services and the inherent conflicts between public and market logic.