Kazakshstan Education Profile 2012

Institutions of higher education include the Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan, the Kazakh State University and the Kazakh Polytechnic Institute, all in Almaty. The Symphony Orchestra of Kazakhstan is Almaty.

Education spending declined considerably, and the system is highly corrupt. There are a large number of private institutions, but low salaries make it difficult to attract good teachers. This period’s discussions on educational policy were dominated by intentions to reform the higher education system so as to incorporate the Bologna process and to increase Kazakh language teaching at schools and in the workplace. Kazakhstan’s government pledged $4.7 billion for education in 2008, closed about 40 underperforming universities between 2004 and 2008, and was quite serious in introducing some liberalization. In the context of its “100 Schools, 100 Hospitals” program, new educational and health establishments have been built. Likewise, more government money is now invested in student scholarships abroad. Despite these important initiatives, there are concerns that these initiatives are not sufficiently thought-through or impartial. For example, a new Ph.D. system has been introduced without reforming the B.A. and M.A. systems preceding that level.