INTERNATIONALIZATION AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

After gaining independence Central Asian countries has formed its own path to the modernization of the higher education system. Scholars, in general, agree that during the Soviet Union, the Central Asian countries and Kazakhstan had a successful education system as measured by quantitative indicators, such as literacy, primary and secondary education for school-age children, and scientific research and part of this heritage has been preserved to the present day. However, the previous education system set the state the task of building new education systems – the internationalization of higher education in these countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with the rise of globalization. Researchers, theorists and practitioners of the educational sphere, government agencies and civil society are currently studying these issues. Many Governments are beginning to develop national internationalization strategies. The following issues considered in the article: What are the interpretations of the concept of internationalization, what is the current situation in the educational processes in Kazakhstan and have the instruments of internationalization led to an improvement in the quality of higher education in Kazakhstan under consideration international scholarship program “Bolashak”? In the article, primary sources, such as national and international statistics, official information of the Ministry of science and higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, news resources are used as well as secondary sources, such as analytics of news agencies and analytical centers.  We argue that a well-thought-out and implemented strategy of internationalization of the education system will have an impact not only on increasing the competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s graduates in the global labor market but also on the competitiveness of the economy and Bolashak program achieved some degree of success.