In 2021, the Halyk Charitable Fund allocated 25,000,000 tenge to support the Almaty Digital Ustaz competition—the first event of its kind aimed at enhancing digital competencies among teachers.

The competition was designed to help bridge the digital divide in education by promoting the effective use of technology in schools, scaling innovative teaching methods, and positioning Almaty as a hub for educational innovation.

Its core mission was to shape a new educational framework by expanding access to digital tools and content that meet the individual needs of students. The competition introduced a new vision of the modern educator: the Digital Ustaz—a teacher of the digital era who embraces technology, integrates it into the learning process, and creates engaging, modern educational content.

More than 3,000 teachers from Almaty submitted applications to participate. The competition included intensive training sessions on digital pedagogy and master classes led by internationally recognized experts, which prepared participants for the final competition tasks.

The annual Almaty Digital Ustaz competition was held in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence and was part of the Almaty Schools program to develop human capital in the education sector.