Kazakhstan Bolsters Foreign University Partnerships, Promotes Academic Research
ASTANA – Amendments made to the Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science in Kazakhstan for 2023-2029 aim to enhance the quality of higher education and the effectiveness of scientific research, according to the report published by the Prime Minister’s press service on July 25.
Photo credit: primeminister.kz.
International promotion
Kazakhstan is working to open branches of foreign universities, which is expected to improve the domestic higher education system by incorporating international knowledge and practices and increasing the number of international students. Currently, there are 19 strategic partnerships, including 15 branches of universities from the United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, Scotland, Poland, China, Uzbekistan, France, Germany, and Hong Kong.
The QS World University Rankings included 21 Kazakh universities, and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings – 4, including Nazarbayev University, which entered the ranking for the first time.
Higher education institutions in Kazakhstan offer around 245 joint and double-degree programs. This year, Satbayev University and Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University plan to launch a digital university model in pilot mode.
Information and communications technologies
To foster innovation in education, memorandums have been signed with large companies such as Coursera, Huawei Technologies Kazakhstan, and Binance Kazakhstan. Huawei ICT Academy provides certified courses at 35 universities. With Binance Kazakhstan’s support, around 350 ICT faculty members from 22 universities have been trained in blockchain technologies.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education signed a memorandum of understanding with Amazon to involve students in IT projects such as OpenSearch. In 2024, 15 universities will implement Google artificial intelligence (AI) courses, engaging 12,000 students in the Generative AI course. Pilot projects with Google for education are underway at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University. Additionally, 12 institutions participate in the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute project, with 12 certified ambassadors receiving NVIDIA certificates.
The ministry is also working on opening innovative programming schools with 01 EduSystem in 20 regional universities, with Yessenov University as the pilot project. Following President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s instruction, the government adopted a resolution to establish Ulytau Technical University in Zhezkazgan, which is developing an academic town in Konayev.
Scientific research
The adopted law on science and technology policy is designed to foster scientific development and implement technology policy, ensuring Kazakhstan’s competitiveness. This year, 1,971 scientific projects, 162 scientific and technical programs, and 137 commercialization projects are being implemented, with young scientists leading 727 projects.
For example, scientists at Satbayev University have developed a method to produce selenium with 99.5% purity, which is widely used in medicine, electronics, and glass production. This new production method can significantly increase the value of selenium from $8 to $120-160 per kilogram.
Akbota Kuandykova from the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University has created a solution to boost vegetable yields, earning a particular patent from the National Institute of Intellectual Property.
Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University and China’s Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University signed an agreement to open a research center focused on crop production, livestock farming, and food safety.
