Redefining Educational Leadership in Central Asia

This book makes an important contribution to developing and diversifying the study and practice of educational leadership beyond its Anglo-Saxon roots, to emergent contexts in central Asia. It provides a significant step towards making school and higher education leadership more global, through the research and scholarship presented in this volume.

-- Professor Tony Bush, University of Nottingham, President, British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society

Today’s rapidly changing landscape in education calls for the transformation of institutions all over the world. Redefining Educational Leadership in Central Asia stands out as a comprehensive examination of educational leadership in the post-Soviet states of Central Asia. In this volume, contributors from across educational institutions consider leadership to be the most effective way to encourage voice and participation, improve the quality of education, and promote the collective responsibility for creating the society of tomorrow.

-- Dr. Timothy Edward O’Connor, President of the American University of Central Asia (AUCA)

As the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I am delighted to endorse this ground-breaking book on educational leadership policies and practices in Central Asia, with a particular focus on Kazakhstan. This volume is a significant contribution to the field, as it brings together a collection of insightful chapters authored by accomplished experts and emerging scholars from nine different countries. These authors possess extensive experience in conducting cutting-edge research and teaching in Central Asia, as well as holding leadership positions in the education sector.

The diverse perspectives and insights presented in this book reflect a deep understanding of the context and complexities of educational leadership in Central Asia. The authors highlight how leadership is shaped and reshaped by the political, economic, social, and cultural landscape. Furthermore, they emphasize the importance of continuous reflection and adaptation of leadership philosophies and practices to meet the evolving needs of educational institutions and society at large.

I firmly believe that this book will serve as a valuable resource for school and university leaders, teachers, students, and researchers interested in educational leadership and the transformation of the educational landscape in Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan. Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to policymakers, leaders, researchers, practitioners, and students of leadership in Central Asia and beyond.

-- Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Kazakhstan

Educational leadership is a contested notion because principles, practices, and approaches to leadership in education are situated in different social, political, cultural, and administrative contexts. Contrary to popular perception, one model or approach to educational leadership cannot be applied to all settings. Alongside, there is a strong consensus among education policy makers and practitioners that educational leadership at multiple levels is one of the most significant factors that leads to improvement in the quality of education and student learning outcomes.

Post-soviet independent states such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries have initiated massive education reforms in response to disruptive technological advances, economic globalization, demographic shifts due to migration and mobility and the changing geo-political situation. These reforms are underpinned by an expectation that education as a strategy would enable embedding democratic norms and practices in the society. These expectations raise significant questions for educational leadership and how it is enacted across the education systems.

Mir Afzal Tajik and Tsediso Michael Makoelle must be congratulated for compiling this edited volume which makes a unique and ground-breaking contribution to the field by bringing in multiple perspectives from the post-Soviet Central Asian context. The studies in the volume illustrate well the tensions in global and local practices in educational leadership and make a strong case for a policy formulation process that is inclusive and takes into account the voice of the practitioners at the grassroots level.

-- Anjum Halai, Professor, Institute for Educational Development & Vice Provost, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Educational leadership, as a socially-constructed construct, is highly under-explored in Central Asia and Global South scholarship, and to that end, this is a very timely, important and useful addition to our understanding. The editors and authors, themselves leadership practitioners and scholars, immerse us in grounded, rich cases and meticulous analytical perspectives on the changes and continuities in the meaning, significance, enactment, and reconceptualization of education leadership in the contexts of nine countries across the globe. The volume’s analyses provide important insights and raise critical questions about the centrality of the contextual factors and the ability of local education leaders to interact with the unfolding forces, opportunities and challenges that emerge from local-global dynamics.

Leadership in education in Central Asia and elsewhere, whether at the levels of school or higher education, classroom teacher or ministry official, has become a defining factor that cannot be disregarded if we care about reforming education for quality, equity, and relevant education for all. This pioneering, in this regard volume, sets the stage for re-theorizing education leadership in the rapidly changing post-Soviet ideological, cultural, technological, and economic /resource contexts. A highly recommended read for colleagues in comparative, international education.

-- Sarfaroz Niyozov, Associate Dean and Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada

Central Asia is one of the most exciting areas for those seeking to understand education reforms that are moving from tight central control to greater flexibility, innovation and autonomy. Such a radical shift requires a fundamental change in what it means to be an educational leader. Tajik and Makoelle’s book offers a thoughtful and compelling perspective on how leadership is evolving to meet the needs of these countries.

-- Dr. Matthew Hartley, Professor and Deputy Dean, Board of Advisors Chair of Education, Founding Executive Director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Educa