THE NORTH KAZAKHSTAN UNIVERSITY WON

Which universities fought for the victory in the final battle?
We have received submissions for the competition from 18 regional universities – the ones who were eligible to apply. Educational institutions from all over the country took part. We have shortlisted three universities – Karaganda Technical University, Atyrau University of Oil and Gas and Kozybayev University.

How was the winner chosen?

The following factors proved decisive: accessibility and interest in the program, the level of motivation of students, the availability and level of a platform for distant learning, the availability of resources to inform students about the program and collect the largest number of applications. We went to all three universities, got acquainted with them, and learned the conditions on the spot. We came to the conclusion that Kozybayev University met the criteria the best. During the meeting, the university staff was much more active than their colleagues from other educational institutions, they reasoned with us that their university was worthy of participating in the project, explained why their university needed this opportunity so much.

So you chose a university, what will happen next?
By the end of May, we will sign a memorandum of cooperation with the university and start preparing for the academic year. In September 2022 at the winning university, students and teachers will be selected for the program, and from October they will begin training. The program will last one year. The best students will traditionally have the right to pass the IELTS at the expense of the Yessenov Foundation.

How will you select the participants?
The competition will be held in two rounds. At the first stage, each of the participants will receive points depending on the content of the application and essay and, of course, taking into account their academic performance. The participants with the highest number of points will advance to the final. In it, the specialists of the foundation and the partner of the program, the Bonas Macfarlane Education language center, will conduct online testing and interviewing students and teachers. By the end of the month, we will announce the names of the program participants. We will form groups according to the level of language proficiency, which in the end 160 of the University students, teachers, masters and doctoral students will be able to improve.

Who will be the teachers of the program?
Bonas Macfarlane is currently engaged in the selection of them. Therefore, only one thing is known for sure: as in previous years, these will be professional certified teachers for whom English is their native language.

Damel Mektepbaeva, a member of the Board for Innovation and Internationalization of Kozybayev University, told us:
— Our university is happy to win and participate in such a wonderful program, we are looking forward to the start of the academic year. Kozybayev University is undergoing a global transformation in academic and scientific terms, and improving the English language proficiency of its staff and students will be an important part of this process.

The English language program for regional universities in Kazakhstan has been implemented by the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation since 2013. In different years the Caspian State University of Technology and Engineering (now – Yessenov University), Kyzylorda Korkyt Ata University and Karaganda Medical University won the grant for participation in it. Since 2020, the program has been running online. Since the launch of the program, 825 Kazakhstanis have already been benefited from it