2023 Education Impact Project 2 (EIP2)
in Kazakhstan in the Context
of Geopolitical Tensions
Co-PI: Ainur Alumkambetova, Instructor, NU GSE
PI, Faculty Mentor: Jason Sparks, Vice Dean, NU GSE
RA: Assylzhan Ospanbek & Manat Sergazina
The findings show that Russia is no longer the priority option for STEM students from Kazakhstan, but is still seen as an attractive destination, especially for ethnic Russians, those who initially planned to migrate to Russia, and those students who were not able to find a suitable specialty in Kazakhstani universities.
The strongest pulls are the perceived quality of STEM education in Russian technical universities, their reputation, infrastructure, and recruitment policies. The students are pulled by simplied admission procedures in Russian universities, tuition fee waivers, and scholarships for high achieving students and winners of STEM Olympiads. Moreover, the participants mentioned cultural, linguistic, and geographic proximity as important factors in their decision-making processes.
On Wednesday, February 7th, the team of the CARCEIT Educational Impact Project (IEP), "Exploring STEM Students’ International Mobility in Kazakhstan in the Context of Geopolitial Tensions" presented their topic to the learning, teaching, and research community of Nazarbayev University.
Led by the Principal Investigator of the project, Dr. Ainur Almukhambetova, and team members Assylzhan Ospanbek and Manat Sergazina, the seminar commenced with a comprehensive introduction to their project. Since Kazakhstan is one of the top 10 countries sending national students abroad, with STEM students making up one of the largest categories, the study explored the ramifications for higher educations in home and receiving countries, especially during geopolitical tension.
This study sparked discussions about understanding whether and how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has impacted student mobility patterns, as well as what factors determine students’ decisions in current reality. Throughout the session, the audience was deeply enganged in the presentation. At the end of this session, the team addressed inquiries from the audience, which ranged from questions about the role of Kazakhstan and the future opportunities that may draw students to the region.
