This presentation was presented for Central Asian Education Roundtable at the University of Kentucky in March 27, 2013

1. Education in Kazakhstan:Education in Kazakhstan:
Between Soviet Legacy andBetween Soviet Legacy and
Western Challenges. Is ItWestern Challenges. Is It
Possible to Build a NationalPossible to Build a National
Model of Education?Model of Education?
Nazgul Mingisheva
Visiting scholar
OSF/FDFP
Education Policy Studies & Evaluation Department
University of Kentucky
RRR Roundtable on Central Asian Education
March 27, 2013

3. Provinces of KazakhstanProvinces of Kazakhstan

4. General informationGeneral information
December 16, 1991 – Independence of
Kazakhstan
Territory – 2,7 million square kilometers
Population – 16,9 million (2013 estimate)
State language – Kazakh; official language -
Russian
GDP (PPP) – 2012 estimate:
Total - $232,349 billion
Per capita - $13,921
GDP (nominal) – 2012 estimate:
Total - $200,6 billion
Per capita - $12,021
HDI – 0,754 (2013 estimate)
President – Nursultan Nazarbayev (from 1990)

5. Ethnic population inEthnic population in
KazakhstanKazakhstan
Ethnicity 1989 1999 2009 2011
Total (mln) 16 465 14 955 16 005 16 442
Kazakh 6 535 7 971 10 099 10 527
Russian 6 228 4 490 3 797 3 753
Uzbek 332 370 457 481
Ukrainian 896 549 333 321
Uighur 185 210 223 233
Tatar 328 249 203 204
German 958 356 178 180

6. Education in Kazakhstan: 1991-2013Education in Kazakhstan: 1991-2013
Basic periods of educational reforms in
1991-2010
The State Program “Bolashak”
Nazarbayev University, Nazarbayev
Intellectual Schools, Nazarbayev
Foundation (2010-2013)
Current educational reforms and language
policy in education
Qualitative research on Kazakh language
in education and science (2011-2013)

7. Education in Kazakhstan: 1991-2013Education in Kazakhstan: 1991-2013
1928 – Kazakh State University in Almaty (now
Kazakh National Pedagogical University)
1991-1994 – Building of law basis for HE
1995-1998 – Modernization and intensive
reforming of HE
1999-2000 – Decentralization of administration
and financing in HE, increasing of academic
freedom in HE (???)
2001-2007 – Strategic development of higher
and secondary education
2005-2010 – Searching of effective ways of
adaptation of HE to the market economy in
Kazakhstan

8. The Program “Bolashak” (“The Future”) –The Program “Bolashak” (“The Future”) –
1994-20131994-2013
2005 2006 2007 2008
Number of
grants
1796 778 500 1105
The quote of grants was increased to three thousand scholarships
in 2005
• 68 students were expelled from 1994
• From 2010 – focus on MA and PhD programs preferably for
technical and medical majors
Ethnic structure of Bolashak students (2008):
• Kazakh – 93,6%
• Russian – 3%
• Korean – 0,9%
• Tatar – 0,5%

9. Nazarbayev UniversityNazarbayev University
2010 – Nazarbayev University
2011 – Law about status of Nazarbayev
University (NU), Nazarbayev Intellectual
Schools (NISs), and Nazarbayev
Foundation (NF)
NU and NISs are autonomous educational
organizations
20 NISs in the future around of
Kazakhstan

10. Structure of NazarbayevStructure of Nazarbayev
UniversityUniversity
7 schools and one center
BA programs – 18 (engineering, natural,
technical, medical and social sciences)
MA programs – 3 (MBA, Public and
Education Policy)
Research centers – 3 (Energy research,
Life sciences, Education policy)
Rector – Shigeo Katsu

11. Current educational reformsCurrent educational reforms
National universities 9
International universities (including NU) 3
State universities 32
Non-civic universities 13
Joint-Stock universities 15
Private universities 69
Total: 141
The new program: one province – one university (state and
private, except Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, and Shymkent)
Ranking and number of universities in Kazakhstan (2012):

12. Language policy in educationLanguage policy in education
Languages of education at secondary
schools (2012):
Kazakh (3843 schools)
Russian (1508 schools)
Uzbek (58 schools)
Uighur (14 schools)
Tajik (2 schools)
English (8 schools)
German

13. Language policy in educationLanguage policy in education
Study of the Kazakh language in the curricula:
20 hours in 1-11 grades at secondary schools
6 credits at universities
Trilingual strategy (Kazakh, Russian and English)
in secondary and higher education to 2020:
Increasing of trilingual schools from 33 to 700
Studying English from first grade at schools in
2013-2014
Development of trilingual strategy in
undergraduate and graduate education

14. Kazakh language in education and scienceKazakh language in education and science
 Transition (or returning) to Latin alphabet to 2025:
modernization of the Kazakh language
Research on Kazakh language in education and social
sciences (10-11 interviews with linguists, instructors
in Kazakh, experts and journalist in 2011-2013):
 Political issues of Kazakh language development in
postcolonial period: Why we still don’t communicate
in Kazakh?
 Challenges of urban areas for Kazakh language
development
 Institutionalization of academic language in Kazakh
 Development of the Kazakh language not only in
education but also in media, Internet, television, and
popular culture

15. Thank you!
nmi227@g.uky.edu