Kazakhstan aims to become the educational hub of Central Asia, and 16 branches of foreign universities have opened in the country. This was announced by Gulzhan Zharasova, Deputy Chair of the Committee for Higher and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan.

— Currently, more than 31,000 foreign students are studying at universities in Kazakhstan. Each year, the government allocates funds to invite 200 foreign scientists. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is actively working to attract partners from all major regions of the world to turn Kazakhstan into the educational center of Central Asia, — noted G. Zharasova at a briefing at the Central Communications Service.

As of today, 34 strategic partnerships have been established with universities from 12 countries, including the USA, the UK, Italy, China, Russia, France, and South Korea. Branches of 16 prestigious universities from these countries have opened in Kazakhstan.

Most of the programs and specialties in these branches focus on training professionals in technical fields.

— In general, when selecting foreign partner universities, economic needs in specific industries, as well as regional demands and proposals, were taken into account. For example, in Aktobe, a branch of the British Heriot-Watt University was established to train specialists in "Electrical Engineering and Power Engineering" and "Mining and Mineral Extraction." In Taraz, a branch of RCTU specializes in training professionals in Chemistry and Chemical Technologies. This approach allows graduates to meet the demands of local enterprises and remain competitive at the international level, — added G. Zharasova.

Earlier, G. Zharasova stated that a new model of engineering education would be introduced in Kazakhstan's universities. Currently, 54 universities in Kazakhstan are training engineers, with over 103,000 students enrolled in this field.

Source: Kazinform