Abstract
Autonomy of educational institutions has been consistently extended in Kazakhstan over the last years: national educational standards have been broken into invariable and variable components, boards of regents have been introduced, per capita financing system is being tested, and autonomous educational organizations have been established, such as Nazarbayev University in higher education and Nazarbayev intellectual schools in secondary education. The paper analyzes legislative instruments, standards and official documents regulating the process of education in the secondary education system to define the extent to which educational institutions enjoy autonomy. Besides, the article uses the data of interviews and focus groups with 46 administrators and 95 teachers of schools, gymnasia and lyceums in different regions of Kazakhstan to analyze how they understand the notion of ‘autonomy of educational institutions’ and how they assess the current degree of autonomy of organizations they work in. The conclusion is that granting more autonomy and independence comes from above but is not requested by schools. Autonomy becomes a challenge for contemporary schools, as more independence implies greater responsibility.