Assel Bekmoldayeva, Aigul Yelikbayeva

• This longitudinal research paper investigates digital transformation of the traditional education sector of Kazakhstan as it pertains to Edtech (educational technologies) and progressive use of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms by developing a strategic approach to the creation of an eco-system of education on a national level. The focus of the study is to investigate the barriers that need to be addressed to enable Kazakhstan to achieve its goal of transitioning to an eco-system of education. Research Problem: The current situation in Kazakhstan is that billions of dollars have been invested in the creation of a digital infrastructure to support the implementation of digital initiatives throughout the country. However, the country has been unable to bring its diverse digital initiatives together into a cohesive programme due to the fact that there is still a gap between the ability of the country to implement technology and the improvement of educational outcomes of its students. The primary hindrance to bringing together the successful use of all of the technologies being implemented is due to a lack of a comprehensive strategy to integrate and govern the use of technology in education. Methodology: To develop the recommendations for transitioning Kazakhstan to the creation of an eco-system of education, the researchers utilised a comparative analysis of three strategic models of Edtech governance from leading educational systems of Singapore, Finland, and Germany. The rationale for choosing these three countries is based on the differences in their methods of implementation in education.