The Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Held a Meeting with Residents of Almaty

On August 19, 2025, at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sayasat Nurbek, held a meeting with residents of Almaty.

The meeting, which focused on pressing issues related to the development of science and higher education, was attended by local residents, university faculty, and active youth.

Key topics discussed included the 2023–2029 Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science in Kazakhstan, higher education, artificial intelligence and digital learning, the AI-SANA project, infrastructure and youth support, and the need for funding scientific research projects. Other issues included increasing salaries and social guarantees, expanding academic mobility for students and young scientists, improving the position of Kazakhstani universities in international rankings, and updating educational programs with new technologies.

Minister Sayasat Nurbek addressed the ongoing work on each of these issues. According to him, due to demographic growth, the burden on the higher education sector is increasing.

`Three years ago, we started with 620,000 students. Today, there are already more than 680,000 students enrolled. By 2029–2030, we predict that the number of students will reach 1 million. Infrastructure, digital platforms, lifelong learning, partnerships with international platforms like Coursera – all of this is directly linked to demographic growth,” the minister emphasized.

The issue of providing student housing was also a major focus of the meeting. Regarding this, the minister stated:

`A special Situation Center has been established in Almaty, through which any student can seek assistance regarding dormitory issues at any time of the day. These measures aim to ensure that no student is left without housing at the start of the new academic year,” said Minister Sayasat Nurbek.

Attendees were also informed about current results of the Ministry`s initiatives under the President’s Address dated September 1, 2023, including the training of personnel in the field of artificial intelligence based at universities, the implementation of the unified voluntary savings system `Keleshek` (“Future”), and the `My Profession – My Future` project.

Following the official part of the event, the minister held a personal reception where several residents had the opportunity to directly present their individual concerns. Local residents expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to engage in such an open dialogue with the minister and demonstrated their willingness to actively participate in the ongoing changes in the fields of science and education.