World Bank "Initiatives in academic excellence sphere" seminar was held at Satbayev University

On June 09, Satbayev University became a platform for World Bank seminar "Initiatives in academic excellence sphere: international experience, best practices and lessons for Kazakhstan", dedicated to the country's education advancement in the near future.

The seminar began with the report by Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayassat Nurbek, who spoke online and described in detail the challenges facing the higher education in Kazakhstan, solutions and the country's policy in the given area. Minister stressed that the academic excellence program, which will be the main solution, should first of all be a regional initiative in order to spread its influence throughout the country and act as an agent of change in local communities.

Striving for academic excellence is a key attribute of leading higher education institutions around the world. The term signifies a commitment to world-class quality in research, teaching and service to a society that gives students an outstanding educational experience and makes a significant contribution to development of the knowledge society. Academic excellence initiatives play a crucial role in building the strong institutional capacities and developing the innovative practices. World Bank, like many other development agencies, pays a lot of attention to the growth in education sphere.

During the measure, World Bank specialists and foreign experts shared their work experience around the world, best practices as well as new ideas in the field of academic excellence initiatives. The guests got acquainted with the experience of China, Taiwan, Germany, financing mechanisms and discussed future initiatives in higher education and teacher training sphere in Kazakhstan.

The seminar introduced the participants to the expert analysis conclusions of World Bank on international experience in developing the excellence programs in higher education, helped to develop recommendations to implement the initiative in Kazakh education, improve the qualifications of university project teams and expand participants' understanding of the concept related to academic excellence.

The seminar was organized by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with World Bank (WB), it was attended by representatives of MSHE, international experts, representatives of World Bank and Kazakhstani universities. The main expert speakers were: Ayesha Vavda, a leading education specialist at World Bank; Alex Asher, President, Higher Education Strategy Associates and Jamil Salmi, a global expert on higher education.

Polina Zavalina was the event moderator, an education consultant at World Bank.