Central Asia and the European Union continue to develop cooperation in engineering education
Satbayev University hosted International Conference "Central Asia - European Union: promising areas of cooperation in improving the specialist training quality", dedicated to the further development of Khujand Agreement, formation of the unified scientific and educational space between the countries of European Union and Central Asia, as well as issues of accreditation, certification and ranking of universities in Central Asian region.
Conference brought together representatives of European accreditation organizations, international and domestic experts, heads of universities in Kazakhstan, Germany, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries. Conference plenary session was attended by Jose Quadrado, President of European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), Dirk Bochar, Secretary General of European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI), Waldemar Sivinsky, President of IREG, and other foreign guests.
Conference participants focused on solving how to transfer and implement the European experience in engineering education field into the practice of education in the countries of Central Asian region. This initiative will not only improve the quality of education in itself, but should also lead to the fact that Kazakhstani diplomas will be quoted in the European engineering market. For this purpose, the conference organizers involved the expertise of European Network for Quality Assurance in Engineering Education, which unites all European Accreditation Agencies in engineering education sphere.
The central engine in this process was Kazakh Association of modern (elite) education KAZSEE as one of the initiators of Khujand Agreement signed in October 2015. Within the framework of the given agreement, signed by accreditation agencies and universities of Central Asian region within the framework of European ERASMUS+ Project, Central Asian Federation of Engineering Education Societies was established, which laid the foundation for integrating the engineering universities of Kazakhstan into European educational space. In particular, KAZSEE, as an accreditation agency, became a member of both ENAEE and FEANI, which allowed Kazakhstan to have a quality assurance system of education integrated into European Higher Education Area.
"Central Asia - European Union: promising areas of cooperation in the field of improving the specialist training quality" conference in 2023 was another successful step in spreading the experience of KazSEE in Central Asian region.
Conference participants reviewed the mechanisms for creating the quality assurance system in engineering education sphere, and discussed topical issues of improving the quality of highly qualified specialists training. Satbayev University has become a platform for this dialogue.
"Conference’s significant outcome," said University’s Rector, Meiram Begentayev, "is its transformation into an international dialogue platform. Its participants unanimously supported the efforts of RK MSHE and KAZSEE to form the unified educational and scientific space between the countries of European Union and Central Asia as well as Khujand Agreement’s partners.
Participants not only discussed the pressing issues, but also found new areas for collaboration and reached new agreements in principle. So, following the conference results, it was decided to launch a program of advisory services for universities in Central Asian region on European rating of engineering programs (EngiRank), joint work with European Federation of National Engineering Associations within the framework of ERASMUS+ program, as well as the creation of Certification Center for specialists in standards by Europe’s European Federation of National Engineering Associations.
- Collaboration within the framework of the agreements reached during the conference," said KAZSEE President Abdumutalip Abzhapparov, "opens up new opportunities for universities in Central Asia to accredit degree programs with the assignment of European EUR-ACE mark, as well as certification of specialists and ranking of higher education institutions according to international standards, which will undoubtedly increase the competitiveness of their graduates in the global market labor.
Foreign speakers noted Kazakhstan's active cooperation with European Higher Education Area and involvement in implementing the numerous programs and projects in Central Asian region. In their opinion, the conference will contribute to building trust and developing cooperation between Central Asian universities and European Network of Organizations, and is an important evidence of their commitment to excellence, inclusivity and global partnership.
