What makes a Kazakhstani private school a business?

A private school is not limited to the role of an educational institution. For sustainable development, it needs to operate according to business principles. The term "business" here does not mean narrowly "making money at any cost," but rather in a more mature sense. Essentially, this means focusing on order, team roles, clear processes and data. In such a case, the school ceases to be dependent on human factors. The structure works, scales up and develops regardless of who is on vacation or sick. Она не зависит от выгорания людей и обеспечивает предсказуемое качество для учеников и родителей.

My name is Maksim Belyakov. I am the founder of Sailet web and mobile development studio. Over the past two years we have been deeply involved in IT solutions for education and see that often internal structures become weak points of private schools. At the same time, we have experience in automation and digitalization of over 50 projects for major players across various fields—from Lukoil Lubricants Central Asia and WWF to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and National Cartographic Fund of RK. This experience helps us understand which management principles from big businesses work perfectly well in schools if adapted properly.

What specific signs can indicate mature business management in a school setting?

Metrics are more important than feelings

The idea is that the head of a private school should not rely on feelings like "everything's fine." They need to base their decisions on concrete numbers.

• How many students stay for the next year. 
• How full are the classes. 
• How much does attracting one application cost. 
• How many parents leave after the first year and for what reasons. 

This isn't about reports just for the sake of reporting. It's about making managerial decisions based on data. Statistics allow you to promptly identify what's working and what requires attention.

CRM and systematic admissions funnel 

• Applications don't get lost in chat. They're recorded in one system. You can see who left them, when they were contacted, and what was promised. Nothing gets lost and nobody is forgotten. 

For example, a parent fills out a form or writes a direct message. Their message immediately goes into the CRM system. An administrator receives a notification, creates a card, and now manages the application through its stages.

• There are scripts for working with parents.

Managers don’t reinvent how to communicate with each person individually. There’s a clear script: how to respond to applications, when to invite someone on a tour, how to remind them about a decision, what to do if a person has doubts.

• Managers know exactly what to say and when. Trust me, even in these simple things it's essential to be thoughtful. Communication with parents is structured step by step. Everything proceeds in order, without being intrusive and without pauses.

Parents receive messages at the right time and in the appropriate format. For instance, if they've submitted an application but didn't attend a meeting, the system will send a reminder. A manager reaches out in due course, maintaining communication. This isn’t about IT—it’s about discipline.

• All history of interaction with parents is preserved. It shows: how many applications came in, how many reached the interview stage, how many led to payment. Data is analyzed and transformed into conclusions.

Finally, admission becomes predictable and manageable. If every second parent disappears after a tour, the school sees this and can revise that stage accordingly.

Automation of routine processes 

In a school-business system, daily processes aren't reliant on manual labor. 

• Schedules aren’t created last minute or rearranged via phone calls. They’re automatically generated taking into account teachers' availability and classroom occupancy.
• Homework assignments, grades, and reporting are centralized. Teachers don't duplicate information across multiple chats. Parents gain access to all materials in one window. 
• Financial information is also collected and processed within the system. The leader can see who paid, where there are debts, and how income is distributed. This allows managing the budget in real-time mode, without manual summaries and tables.

Overall, automation simplifies operations and shifts the team's focus. Time is freed up for training, engaging with parents, and fostering growth.

Such schools open branches, launch online programs, strengthen their teams. They scale thanks to the system. We in Sailet have seen this in practice. We've already automated the workflow of private schools in Kazakhstan and observe how a systemic approach helps them grow. 

Want to understand how this could work for you? Sign up for a consultation. We'll explain how AI and automation help transition from manual mode to sustainable development.