THE USE OF ROBOTICS IN EDUCATION: NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

The article examines the role of educational robotics in transforming the secondary education system of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the context of the transition to a technology-driven economy. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the international engineering program FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) on the development of students’ professional competencies and to identify ways of integrating the program into the national educational environment. The central focus of the study is FTC as a competitive educational platform for students in Grades 7–11 (ages 12–18), which effectively simulates the full professional engineering cycle, from design to robot assembly and programming. The methodological framework of the study includes a systematic analysis of the regulatory and legal framework, including the state initiative Digital Kazakhstan and the State Compulsory Educational Standard (SCES) 2022; a comparative content analysis of contemporary pedagogical research; an examination of international experience; and quantitative and qualitative analyses of the results achieved by Kazakhstani teams in FTC competitions in recent years. The findings make it possible to characterize the educational potential of FTC and demonstrate how the program’s requirements are associated with the development of engineering, teamwork, and communication skills. The authors also identify key barriers to scaling the program in Kazakhstan, including a shortage of qualified teaching staff, the high cost of equipment, and unequal access to infrastructure across regions. To address these challenges, the study proposes evidence-based measures, including the development of specialized professional development courses for teachers and public–private partnership mechanisms to modernize school laboratories.