THE 164 KAZAKHSTANIS PARTICIPATE IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM

When and how the competition was held?
According to the terms of our contract, the competition was held by the educational institution itself. The selection took place in September. We collected applications and conducted online testing of candidates using the platform of Bonas MacFarlane Education Kazakhstan which is the Program’s partner. Then we selected the winners, made a class schedule, and began signing sponsorship agreements with each participant of the Program. The competition received more than 270 applications, including 120 from teachers and doctoral students, and 155 from undergraduate and graduate students.

What are the results of the competition, and how many students have started studying under the Program?
The results are as follows: 67 of those selected have A1 level, 63 – A2, 21 – B1 and only 13 of them have B2 level. Out of the 200 selected students, 164 are currently participating in the Program. Besides, the top management of the educational institution, including the rector of the University, are also improving their English proficiency level.

Why did some participants leave the Program?
The problem is that due to the low English proficiency level, some of the students who were selected during the competition, could not understand the teacher’s speech. Therefore, they had to leave the program. Those participants who were qualified but could not combine participation in the Program with work or study also left the program.

How are the classes going?
The classes have started on October 7th. They are conducted by two certified native English-speaking teachers: Courtney Bailey and Antony Graham Durrant. The training is conducted on the Google Meet platform. Its extended version was provided by EKTU. The Yessenov Foundation also provided the university with about 700 manuals, i.e. textbooks, books, workbooks. Besides, it is planned to conduct monthly classes for the EKTU Master’s and doctoral students on writing scientific papers in English. Courtney Bailey, PhD, will give these lessons. In accordance with the terms of the Program, during the first month of training participants had the opportunity to change groups and levels under our supervision. Attendance is monitored daily too. The classes are held twice a week for 90 minutes. The first academic year will end in May.

Antony Durrant had already participated in the Program in previous years, at Kozybayev University, to be exact. Would you please tell us more about him and the new teacher Courtney Bailey.
Antony Durrant is a teacher specializing in Business English. He is 59, a British citizen, he has a bachelor’s degree in English, and CELTA and DELTA certificates confirming that he is authorized to conduct the practice in teaching the English language. Durrant taught in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman, Greece at various educational institutions. Since 2016, he has been a consultant in Business English at the Agrocosta Institute, and an examiner for the Oxford Test of English. His professional experience is more than 30 years.

Courtney Bailey, PhD, has over 10 years of experience as a language teacher. Courtney worked as a teacher of English language and a teacher trainer. She is an active advocate for inclusive education and implementation of AI in education. She worked at various educational institutions and organizations around the world. For instance, she worked as a teacher trainer and an English language consultant under the US Department of State’s University Partnership Program. Her teaching experience spans both schools and higher education institutions.

What results does the Yessenov Foundation plan to achieve by the end of the Program?
We plan that both students and teachers will improve their English proficiency one level up, on average. Annually we allocate 160 grants. This will ultimately allow more than 300 students and employees at this university to improve their English. The best 50 Program participants will pass the IELTS exam at the Foundation’s expense.

As a reminder, the English Language Program has been launched by the Shakhmardan Yessenov Science and Education Foundation in 2013. Since then, it was held at the Caspian University of Technology and Engineering named after Sh.Yessenov (now – Yessenov University) in Aktau, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda University, Karaganda Medical University, and Manash Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University (Kozybayev University) in Petropavlovsk. Due to the Program, more than 1,100 students and teachers in Kazakhstan have already improved their English proficiency level. D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University (EKTU) in Ust-Kamenogorsk has become the fifth regional higher education institution participating in the Program which is held from 2024 to 2026.