Kazakhstan unveils higher education and science sector initiatives

ASTANA: Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek presented a number of initiatives and projects aimed at developing the higher education and science sector in the country during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 19.

According to Akorda’s statement, Minister Nurbek emphasized that Kazakhstan has become a regional educational and scientific center, which has become possible thanks to the establishment of 25 branches of foreign universities.

Agreements with international partners also aim to transform regional state universities into research institutions operating in line with global educational standards.

This year, the government introduced new financial support mechanisms for students, including the voluntary Keleshek savings system, the National Children’s Fund, preferential educational loans, and diversified scholarships. These measures aim to increase access to higher education for all segments of the population.

Minister Nurbek said that in response to the presidential directives, more than 2,000 students are now enrolled in 15 artificial intelligence (AI)-related study programmes across eight universities.

As part of its efforts to strengthen human resources for the digital economy, Kazakhstan has established partnerships with international corporations such as Google, Nvidia, Coursera, 01 Edu System, and Huawei. In addition, the Bolashak program plans to award 100 scholarships per year for specialized AI training.