Managing Digital Transformation in Secondary Schools: A Comparative Study of China and Kazakhstan

Worldwide, digital change is central to education modernization. For secondary schools, it involves more than computers, internet and digital platforms. It reshapes school governance, educational leadership, classroom practice, teacher development, data management and organizational culture. This paper compares digital‑transformation management in Chinese and Kazakh secondary schools. Drawing on policies and existing literature, it analyses national digital‑education strategies, infrastructure, teaching platforms, teachers’ digital skills, school leadership, data governance and digital equity. Both countries prioritize digital reform for educational modernization under different institutional backgrounds. China applies a centralized service‑driven model exemplified by the National Smart Education Platform. Kazakhstan integrates school digitalization into national education and digital‑economy strategies. They share common challenges: uneven digital infrastructure, varying teacher digital skills, data‑management troubles, cybersecurity threats and insufficient digital leadership at school level. Technical investment alone cannot guarantee successful transformation. School leaders need to combine digital tools with strategic planning, teacher training, institutional adjustment and evidence‑based decision‑making.