Kazakhstan: The Untapped Student Potential in the Heart of Asia

There are so many great recruitment opportunities on the Kazakhstan student market for the international educators out there. Kazakhstan is a talent pool that offers a huge untapped potential for diversifying your student body.

Located in central Asia, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world, surrounded by its neighbouring countries Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan has a population of over 17 million people, and its economy is rapidly growing since the fall of the Soviet Union. The country is rich of natural resources, such as oil and gas. Its big cities are adorned by architectures in a futuristic manner. Kazakhstan is also proud of its incredibly beautiful nature and landscape, attracting thousands of visitors with its captivating mountains and green valleys, wildlife and breathtaking deserts with mystical underground mosques.

INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE

Kazakhstan’s transition from a Soviet to a free market economy after 1991 has a huge influence on the higher education system. Enjoying independence, the number of higher education institutions increases: from 55 state institutions in 1990 to 182 public and private institutions by the year of 2001.

Since the fall of communism, a number of reforms are implemented within the education industry. These reforms are mainly concerned with quality, competitiveness, and mobility throughout the last two decades and include:

• Re-structuring of the tertiary system;
• Reduction of the number of higher education institutions;
• Focus on improving quality and governance;
• Commitment to deepening internationalisation.

 
Secondary education in Kazakhstan is free and compulsory for the students. The Kazakh educational system employs standardised exams both for secondary school and university admissions.

EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN

Education is one of the top priorities in Kazakhstan, by the country’s development strategy, which aims to establish Kazakhstan in the top 30 of the world’s most competitive nations. To support this plan, the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) launches a 10-year State Programme of Educational Development (2010-20) with specific targets to ensure access to quality education for sustainable economic growth across areas.

The colleges in Kazakhstan now offer high quality education and training due to the newly implemented equipment, and the levels of motivation of both teachers and school leaders are high. 

NEEDS AND MOTIVATION

Around 30% of students studying abroad are subsidised by scholarships, and around 70% are self funded. It is important to note that their parents play a key note here, as they are the decision makers and it is recommended that educators visit Kazakhstan in person for school appearances and to connect directly with students, parents, and agents.

STUDENT MOBILITY TRENDS

According to recent studies by the UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics, 43,039 Kazakh students studied abroad in 2012. A majority of outbound Kazakh students study in Russia, that sums up to more than 30,000 Kazakh students in 2013. Students who study in Russia are usually attracted to universities well known for science studies and engineering fields. Nearly 40% of Bolashak scholars have studied also in the UK on under-graduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes, making the UK the favourite destination for Bolashak students.

WHAT IS BOLASHAK?

The Bolashak International Scholarship (‘bolashak’ meaning ‘future’ in Kazakh language) is a funding scheme established by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for educating students in leading universities around the globe. The scholarship covers full-time education or internships for science, education, engineering, technical, and medical professionals in foreign organizations. The Bolashak scholarship has become a guarantee for successful career development and professional self-realization for all graduates.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A BOLASHAK SCHOLARSHIP?

The Bolashak International Scholarship is awarded only to high-performing students to study overseas with all expenses being covered, provided that they return to Kazakhstan to work for at least five years after graduation. The primary purpose of this initiative is to support talented young people in getting quality education abroad, so that they are experienced enough to contribute to the well being of their home country.

The number of students who completed the programme in the period 1995-2007 is 1,036. This number includes 861 students majoring in humanities, 130 – in technical disciplines and 45 students – in medical Studies.