The event was held today in Almaty. More than 130 representatives of the Ministries of Education and Science, universities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and international organizations took part in the Forum. The Forum participants were greeted by the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Askhat Aimagambetov.
“Today's Forum is a logical continuation of the international conference that we held in Turkestan last year. I am grateful to all the colleagues who responded, and today the delegations and rectors of universities from almost all countries of Central Asia participate in this Forum. The program is very rich, and I think that the Forum will become an effective platform for the exchange of experience and the development of cooperation. Kazakhstan is an active participant in the Bologna process, last year we passed self-certification and received full recognition. This year, we are co-chairs of the Supervisory Group of the Bologna Process,” Minister Askhat Aimagambetov said in his speech.
He noted the achievements of Kazakh universities in world rankings. The number of Kazakhstani universities in the QS ranking has doubled and reached 14. The number of universities has also increased, and the positions included in the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking has improved.
“This is the result of the implementation of the principles of the Bologna process, as well as the provision of academic, managerial and financial autonomy to universities. If earlier, standard curricula and curriculum were approved by the Ministry of Education and Science, now universities themselves change curricula to meet the demands of the labor market, taking into account the opinions and suggestions of employers. This has strengthened our relationship with employers, now they themselves formulate their requests and proposals through professional standards,” the Minister stressed.
Askhat Aimagambetov expressed confidence that the Forum would give a new impetus to the development of the Alliance of Central Asian Universities, as well as expand regional cooperation between universities in the development of joint educational and scientific projects and the implementation of double-diploma programs.
