More opportunities for growth: Bank RBK supports LEDS Educational Center
A new LEDS Family Educational Center has opened in Astana with the support of Bank RBK. The bank provided financing for the purchase of the premises, enabling the launch of a modern educational hub where children, school students, university students, and adults can acquire new knowledge, learn foreign languages, develop creative and athletic skills, and build new friendships and professional connections, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The LEDS concept is built around comprehensive development, offering high quality education across a wide range of disciplines under one roof. One of the center’s key strengths is its extensive language program, which includes courses in Kazakh, English, French, German, Chinese, Korean, and Turkish. The center serves learners at every stage of their educational journey, from early childhood development based on the Montessori method and preschool preparation to academic support for school students and advanced programs for high schoolers.
It also provides targeted preparation for the Unified National Testing (UNT), state examinations, and admission to leading schools, including the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), the Republican Physics and Mathematics School (RPhMS), the Bilim Innovation Lyceum, as well as universities in Kazakhstan and abroad.
"At Bank RBK, we believe it is important to support educational initiatives that deliver meaningful social impact. The new LEDS center is a prime example of such a project. It provides a space where children can learn, develop new skills, discover their talents, and realize their full potential in today’s rapidly changing world. We are pleased that the Bank's support helped turn this project from an idea into reality, creating something important and beneficial for Astana. We wish our partners every success and continued growth," said Natalya Akentyeva, Chairman of the Management Board of Bank RBK.
The idea for the educational center was first conceived by its founder, Abzal Mambetalinov, and his wife, Assel, in 2018, when the young family was searching for a school for their first child. At the time, demand for high quality education, extracurricular programs, and modern approaches to child development remained strong in the rapidly growing capital. The concept gained fresh momentum during the family's time in Switzerland, where their children studied under the European education system. That experience offered a new perspective on the importance of a multilingual environment, early childhood development, and a holistic approach to education, one that nurtures children's academic, creative, social, and emotional development alike.
"For us, LEDS is a project born out of love, our own experience as parents, and a desire to create a unique environment where children can benefit from high-quality, well-rounded education within the concept of a community center. Beyond learning, it is a place where students can enjoy their free time. We sincerely hope the center will become a place where talents are nurtured, self-confidence grows, and a strong foundation for future success is laid. We are grateful to Bank RBK for its support and professional guidance at such an important stage of our journey. Thanks to the bank's support, we were able to acquire the premises and open the center we had long dreamed of," said Abzal Mambetalinov, founder and director of LEDS.
The LEDS center occupies 850 square meters and features 18 classrooms, a gymnasium, an early childhood education center, a spacious lobby, a teachers' room, and a recreation area. In addition to its academic programs, the center places a strong emphasis on developing children's and teenagers' creative and personal potential. The center offers a wide range of popular programs, from acting, public speaking and painting to dance, ballet, judo and karate.
LEDS welcomed its first 19 students at the start of the project, with preschool preparation classes already underway. The number of preschoolers is expected to reach 30 in the near future. During the summer, the center also operates a children's camp based on its unique "10 Countries in 10 Days" concept. Across six two-week sessions, the camp is expected to host around 60 children.
Social impact is an integral part of the center's mission. It has already provided several children from SOS Children's Village Astana with the opportunity to attend its summer camp free of charge. In addition, children from large families and socially vulnerable households are eligible for discounted tuition. The center also plans to allocate part of its revenue to charitable initiatives.
The project has already created 11 new jobs for teaching and administrative staff. Going forward, the center plans to expand its team by recruiting both experienced educators from Astana's leading universities and young professionals educated abroad, as well as graduates of NIS and RPhMS.
The opening of LEDS marks an important step in the development of Astana's private education infrastructure. With the support of Bank RBK, the city has gained a new space where education, creativity, sports, and child development come together in a single learning environment, helping children unlock their potential and confidently pursue new achievements.
License No. 1.2.100/245/41 issued by the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market on April 5, 2021.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Bank RBK supported a half marathon on the Irtysh.
