Al-Farabi KazNU is aimed at becoming a world-class research university and entering the global ranking of the top 100 HEIs. This ambitious goal was announced by the Rector, academician Galym Mutanov during the annual reporting meeting to the public. For this purpose, infrastructure development will be continued, and a number of major international innovation projects will be implemented on the basis of a public-private partnership with the attraction of foreign investment.
The public report meeting of Rector of Al-Farabi KazNU Galym Mutanov was held this year in an online format on the University’s own remote platform «JynalisRoom». The meeting was broadcast live on YouTube channel and on official University accounts in social networks.
The reporting meeting was attended by representatives of the teaching staff, student activists, the alumni association, the council of employers, the national project office «Sanaly Urpaq», mass media, youth and student organizations, students, and their parents.
A novelty of this year was that questions could be asked in advance, starting one month before the reporting meeting. Everyone had the opportunity to contact the Rector in a virtual reception room at kaznu.kz, as well as in a special open online form. The questions and suggestions received were systemized and processed, and those who applied were answered during the live broadcast and via feedback.
The Rector of the country's leading higher education institution informed the public in detail about the achievements and strategic tasks facing the many thousands of staff of the University, about how the University works in the conditions of the pandemic in a distance learning format, about the solution of topical issues of science development and implementation of innovative projects.
Rector Galym Mutanov emphasized that in the year of 1150th anniversary of Al-Farabi, the University that bears his name with dignity, made a phenomenal breakthrough by entering the top 200 best HEIs of the world in the global ranking QS, taking 165th place. KazNU, gradually transforming into a world-class research university, does not rest on its laurels and sets itself an ambitious goal to enter the top 100 best HEIs in the world. A number of major international innovation projects will be implemented for this purpose. For example, Al-Farabi Scientific-Technical Valley is being created on the basis of a public-private partnership with the attraction of foreign investment.
The first step in the creation of STV in KazNU's campus will be the launch of the international IT cluster «Alliance of New Silk Road Universities», which unites more than 130 leading higher education institutions worldwide. Its core will be an IT-Technopark based on the «Silicon Valley» model and a Supercomputer provided to KazNU by a grant from the Chinese Government. Important components of the «valley» will also be a medical and biological cluster with a modern polyclinic and research laboratory, as well as an innovative cluster that will combine such scientific areas as nanotechnology and new materials, nuclear, space and telecommunications technologies, robotics, interdisciplinary humanitarian research.
KazNU has developed and is implementing its own model for the development of a new generation of higher education institutions – «University 4.0». It aims to form citizens of the country and the world with high spiritual and moral values who are responsible not only for their own lives but also for the future of all humanity. Presented at UN Headquarters in New York, the model has been recommended for wide international dissemination. KazNU’s best practices are broadcast worldwide through 10 Al-Farabi Science and Education Centers opened by KazNU at leading foreign universities and Al-Farabi House Museums in Istanbul (Turkey) and Delhi (India). Owing to this, foreign citizens have an opportunity to study the Kazakh language, culture, and traditions of Kazakh people and learn about the achievements of Kazakhstan. In the near future, the number of such centers in different countries will increase to 20.
The innovative transformation of the university is based on the transition from functional to process management. The infrastructure of Kazgugrad has grown by almost 50% in the last five years. This year, on the basis of public-private partnerships, the construction of a 1250-place Superior Student House has begun. The University was the first in the country to launch Mass Open Online Courses on the moocs.kz platform. Today the University is becoming a Central Asian hub for the export of educational services and training of specialists who are sought after. In the last year only, the number of foreign students has increased 15 times. Automation of management and digitization of all business processes allowed KazNU to switch to distance learning during the quarantine period due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the meeting, the Scientific Secretary of the «National Centre for Complex Processing of Mineral Resources of Kazakhstan» Svetlana Efremova addressed the report. She spoke about cooperation with KazNU in training qualified specialists. In 2019 the University opened a specialized department «Technology of metals and minerals». According to the speaker, employees of the center are directly involved in the educational process at all stages of students’ training (Bachelor's, Master’s, Doctoral). This enables specialists to be trained at the intersection of science and practice, ready to solve multifaceted tasks in future professional activity.
The Head of the Republican Project Office «Sanali Urpaq» Kaiyrzhan Tokushev in his speech noted the close cooperation with KazNU in the creation of the Scientific and Educational Cluster on the formation of anti-corruption culture. Methodological recommendations and programs to combat corruption have been jointly developed and are being used. The work of student clubs «Sanaly Urpaq» has been organized at the faculties, and events are held. In developing this area of activity, the University will soon introduce the international standard ISO 37001. The head of the project office gave a positive assessment of KazNU’s activities and expressed confidence that the University will achieve significant new successes.
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