The 9th Meeting of Ministers of Education of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States was held in Ürümqi. The event brought together heads of relevant agencies from Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of international organizations and the diplomatic corps.

Participants discussed key directions for the development of educational cooperation within the SCO region. Particular attention was paid to the training of competitive human capital, joint academic initiatives, digital transformation, and the integration of artificial intelligence into educational processes.

In his address, Minister of Enlightenment of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Gani Beisembayev, emphasized the strategic importance of strengthening partnerships in technical and vocational education. He highlighted the need to expand academic mobility, implement joint educational programs, and promote the internationalization of colleges as a means to enhance the quality of workforce training.

As part of the event, Minister Beisembayev held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from the People's Republic of China, Huai Jinpeng. The ministers discussed Kazakh-Chinese cooperation and the exchange of best practices in the field of technical and vocational education.

Currently, colleges in Almaty, Shymkent, and the Zhambyl Region are already engaged in knowledge exchange with leading Chinese colleges and industrial clusters. Internships for students and faculty are being conducted at partner institutions, providing access to advanced technologies and modern industrial standards.

As a result of the negotiations, the parties reached an agreement on the establishment of the Kazakhstan–China Vocational and Technical College, which will serve as a flagship institution for training specialists with international qualifications. The Chinese side expressed its readiness to support the professional development of Kazakhstan’s educational administrators in the fields of artificial intelligence and digitalization of education.

In addition, both sides reaffirmed their intention to sign a memorandum of cooperation during the First World Congress on Inclusive Education, which will be held in Almaty later this year.