90 years of success

Zhanseit Tuimebayev,
Chairman of the Board-Rector of Al-Farabi KazNU

Today Al-Farabi Kazakh National University celebrated its 90th anniversary. "Kara Shanyrak", whose history dates back to the first half of the 20th century, is currently a leader among Kazakhstan's universities. Distinguished by major scientific achievements, modern educational programs, innovations in national training, it has joined the ranks of the world's leading universities.

Last year the basis for the formation of the Kazakh State University was the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR from October 20, 1933. On January 15, 1934, 54 students were admitted for the first time, who were educated at the physical and mathematical and biological faculties.

The educational institution gradually expanded its scope, bringing its educational programs to 14 specialties before the outbreak of war. Since 1945, the university has been spreading out again, and the ranks of new faculties are beginning to grow. We recall with pride that in different years Ivan Lukyanets, Tolegen Tazhibaev, Askar Zakarin and Temirbai Darkanbaev headed the educational institutions, such famous Kazakh personalities as Mukhtar Auezov, Kanysh Satpaev, Alkei Margulan gave lectures.

Everyone knows that it is Dinmukhamed Kunayev who is the figure of our people, who led the construction and formation of the modern city. On June 17, 1966 he signed a special decree on the creation of KazSU campus, construction of new educational buildings. The purpose was to improve university education in the country, to improve the educational and material base of the Kazakh State University. On the basis of this decree on August 6, 1966, the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR decided to allocate special land for the construction of the KazSU campus.

In April 1971, the ceremony of laying the foundation of the main building of the state university took place, and on July 24, 1972, the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR issued another resolution on the beginning of the first phase of construction of the KazSU campus. Professor Askar Zakarin, academician Omirbek Zholdasbekov are credited with the construction of the KazSU campus.

And in the period of independence under the leadership of Academician Kopzhasar Naribayev the university rose to a new stage of development. On October 23, 1991 instead of education was given the name of scientist Al-Farabi, January 9, 1993 - the status of "state national university". On September 8, 2004, as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the University, the foundation of the scientific library "Al-Farabi" was laid. In 2007, a bronze monument to Al-Farabi was erected.

In 2007-2010, with the support of the state, new academic buildings were built and put into operation. At this time Bakytzhan Zhumagulov, as a rector-innovator, made a great contribution to the improvement of the city.

Today the university staff continues the good deeds started by our great personalities in a new direction. It occupies 230th place in the international QS ranking, is among the top 30 best universities in Asia according to QS Asia University Rankings. On July 25, 2022, Kara Shanyrak was granted the status of "research university" by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan №516.

Currently, more than 26 thousand students are studying at 16 faculties on 554 educational programs.

Successfully work 3354 teachers-professors, carrying out high quality and efficiency of performance of scientific-research works. Among them there are 11 academicians of NAS RK, 3 academicians of Higher School RK, 8 academicians of Academy of Sciences of Higher School RK, 7 corresponding members of NAS RK. There are also 603 doctors, 736 candidates of sciences, 512 PhDs.

The institution has made appropriate changes in its academic policy after receiving the status of "research university" in 2022. Emphasis was placed on the integration of research results into the teaching process, improving the quality of education, improving inclusive education and the use of artificial intelligence.

Today, out of 25,126 students, 20,499 are studying at the bachelor's level (12,776 grants); 3404 at the master's level (2913 grants); 1223 at the doctoral level (1048 grants).

The increase of educational programs to the international level is associated with the implementation of joint and double-diploma educational programs. The number of double-diploma education programs-67, 60 of them at the master's level.

For the 2023-2024 academic year, 10,719 applicants have been admitted. This is a huge indicator in the history of the university. The number of students has increased by 3000 students compared to last year.

The international activities of the educational institution are also of strategic importance in the development of the university. Kaznu maintains close relations with more than 650 higher education institutions and organizations in Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific. Of these, more than 80 of them are in the last year. The geography of international cooperation of the University already covers 55 countries.

Since 2021, by order of the Head of State Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, 500 Kazakhstani scientists annually under the "Bolashak" program undergo training in the leading scientific centers of the world. Among them are professors.

In 2023, 405 professors-teachers and staff members underwent advanced training and internships in the CIS, Eurasia, Middle East countries within the framework of inter-university agreements and international educational programs.

The university implements a double degree program with universities in Europe, USA, South-East Asia, Russia in 120 specialties. In 2023, 451 bachelors and masters students underwent training and advanced training in foreign universities. 325 PhD doctoral students conducted research work with foreign leaders in Europe, North America, Asia and Turkey, exchanged experience in the leading universities of the world.

Last year more than 200 students of KazNU received grants and scholarships of international foundations, organizations and government programs. In recent years, about 250 foreign students from the USA, Japan, Germany, Russia, France, Great Britain, China, Turkey, Netherlands, Belgium, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia visited the university on programs of academic mobility and internship. Within the framework of the agreement with the American International Educational Councils (USA) 125 US citizens studying Russian at the faculties of philology and international relations were accepted. Today there are 3928 foreign students from 54 countries of the world.

One of the modern directions of international cooperation is the creation of branches of prestigious foreign universities on the basis of the educational institution. In the realization of this work, the Treasury has also achieved concrete results.

In 2022, within the framework of the official visit of the Head of State Kasym-Jomart Tokayev to Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, the Kaznu opened branches in the cities of Istanbul and Bishkek. This year, on the basis of the university began to work a branch of the Russian National Nuclear Research University MEPhI.

During the state visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev to China in May 2023, an agreement was signed to open a branch of the Northwest Polytechnic University of the People's Republic of China on the basis of KazNU. October 12, a solemn opening ceremony was held.

KazNU as a global hub of the UN program on stability "Academic Impact" created a roadmap of work in the field of stability and became the first university in the post-Soviet space, which became a member of the UN Academic Impact (UNAI) program.

Over the past three years, Kaznu has continued its interaction with all structural units of international organizations in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Kaznu collaborates with the Universities Global Social Responsibility Network (USRN) as well as the Silk Road Universities Alliance (UASR) as well as the Silk Road Universities Alliance (SUN).

In order to effectively communicate with academic teachers and experts, the China-Central Asia Higher Education Cooperation Forum on "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Integrating Industry and Education" was held last year in cooperation with Jiaotong Xi'an University of China. This major event was dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the initiative "One Belt, One Road".

Also on the basis of KazNU was organized scientific-practical conference "integrative role of the common Turkic alphabet: scientific and social aspects", organized jointly with the Turkic Academy and Turkish Linguistic Society, VIII forum of Kazakh-French universities.

The Scholarship Council of the People's Republic of China and Al-Farabi KazNU presented an "exhibition of Chinese universities", where about 45 best universities of China told about their academic activities and shared their scientific achievements. Within the framework of the visit of Vice Minister of Education of China Sun Yao to Kazakhstan, the staff of the KazNU met with a delegation of Chinese universities.

In accordance with the status of a research university, Al-Farabi KazNU pays special attention to the development of science. Revenues from university science for the last three years have almost doubled and amounted to 8.5 billion tenge. At the moment 290 projects of grant financing, 11 projects within the framework of program-targeted financing of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of RK, 1 project of commercialization through JSC "Science Fund" and 47 joint projects are being implemented. In recent years, our scientists have implemented more than 300 international scientific and technical programs and fundamental projects. Among them are ISTC, INTAS, TEMPUS, IAEA, NATO programs.

This year our scientists-geographers won a megagrant for 3.8 billion tenge from the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The project, planned for three years, is aimed at conducting research on the habitat and environmental factors of the West Kazakhstan region within the framework of the concept of "green growth". Under the guidance of Maulken Askarova, Professor of the Faculty of Geography and Nature Management, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, the first stage of the project was carried out and an information database was created. Brain Institute, created in the educational institution on the recommendation of Professor Almira Kustybaeva, Head of the Department of Biophysics, Biomedicine and Neuroscience, is also characterized by relevance, novelty. Associated pro-university
group of scientists headed by Meruert Kurmanbaeva, Doctor of Biological Sciences, for the first time in the country has developed a method of production of perennial wheat. Perennial wheat can be sown only once and get a harvest for 5-6 years in a row.