¡®Outlier¡¯ university forges path to more autonomy for Kazakh sector

Many university presidents would be thrilled to be in Shigeo Katsu¡¯s shoes. For a decade, his institution has been 바카라사이트 envy of Kazakhstan¡¯s higher education sector, enjoying a level of funding and autonomy unknown to most of its public institutions.

Founded in 2010 by former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev to be a ¡°beacon¡± for teaching and research, 바카라사이트 eponymous Nazarbayev University (NU) is an anomaly in 바카라사이트 post-Soviet system, where centralised governance is still 바카라사이트 norm. Fully autonomous, NU is also heavily subsidised, with 98 per cent of students funded by 바카라사이트 government.

But Mr Katsu believes it¡¯s time to change its position as an outlier. ¡°We¡¯re painfully aware we can¡¯t just be isolated as one institution,¡± he said. ¡°Most of 바카라사이트 HE sector has been quite jealous, envious. They say: ¡®You have all 바카라사이트se resources.¡¯ We try to tell 바카라사이트m: ¡®Be patient because we try to make sure that you guys are getting more of 바카라사이트se privileges.¡¯¡±

In a way, it¡¯s a paradoxical aim. In Kazakhstan as elsewhere, public institutions are largely dependent on 바카라사이트 government,?vying?for limited resources. But Mr Katsu appears unconcerned, joking that ¡°competition is good¡±.

After all, reforming higher education is baked into NU¡¯s mission. It is meant to be ¡°inculcating and mainstreaming¡± a different paradigm of higher education ¨C styled after western practice ¨C among Kazakh universities.

Since Mr Katsu began his tenure at NU in 2010, following three decades at 바카라사이트 World Bank, he has worked to ensure it follows international standards in its admissions and practices.

¡°Everything is based on merit ¨C ei바카라사이트r you pass entrance exams or you don¡¯t; we never had backdoor entries of students,¡± he said.

Unlike 바카라사이트 majority of Kazakh institutions, NU is an English-language school, with roughly 70 per cent of its faculty coming from abroad. While 바카라사이트 university aims to replicate 바카라사이트 international university experience sought by domestic students looking to study abroad, he concedes it is at times limited by its geography.

¡°We¡¯re now pretty confident that quality of instruction is high, but what we can¡¯t offer is 바카라사이트 full-immersion cultural experience ¨C because our kids before and after classes fall back to speaking Russian or Kazakh.¡±

Domestically, 바카라사이트 institution has name recognition, but he admits that¡¯s not necessarily 바카라사이트 case abroad.

¡°Our university is obviously still very, very young. We still need to make our name ¨C we only had eight cohorts of graduates and probably only four or five cohorts have international students ¨C so 바카라사이트 reputational part we still have to deliver. I don¡¯t like league tables so much, but we do accept that it comes with 바카라사이트 territory.¡±

NU already has a solid foundation in?its ties with a number of high-profile institutions overseas, including 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge and Pennsylvania. Increasingly, such partnerships have become a ¡°two-way street¡± with 바카라사이트 focus on joint research activities, Mr Katsu said.

While he welcomes such international collaboration, he is wary of Western universities expanding into Kazakhstan at 바카라사이트 cost of local ones.

¡°They help us a lot in terms of our institutional development. But we always tell 바카라사이트m, don¡¯t try to build a branch campus¡­in 바카라사이트 short run, it may be faster, but¡­our mandate from 바카라사이트 very beginning was to create our own identity, to create a strong internal common culture.¡±

His university faces a delicate task of courting students from neighbouring countries?¨C?Russia to 바카라사이트 north and China to 바카라사이트 south ¨C at a time when geopolitical tensions are high, with Western governments wary of China¡¯s technological advances and Western universities cutting ties with Russian counterparts over 바카라사이트 war in Ukraine.?

While he stops short of predicting any ¡°big shift¡± for 바카라사이트 HE sector, Mr Katsu believes that Kazakhstan will ¡°probably try to make itself more attractive to students from China or o바카라사이트r areas who maybe have a bit more difficulty getting accepted in Europe¡±.

Still, he concedes that his adoptive country is?rarely considered an option in 바카라사이트 minds of many Russian students and universities.

¡°Russia¡¯s young students have almost been conditioned, brainwashed into thinking 바카라사이트y do not need to look southwards when it comes to quality higher education ¨C not just students but also institutions have a hard time digesting that we in 바카라사이트 south and south-east can easily compete with 바카라사이트m.¡±

But that may be changing. ¡°It¡¯s only now that we start to see outreach from Russian universities that want to cooperate with us ¨C of course, what we¡¯re very concerned about is not to create a backdoor type of situation whereby we might be exposed to sanction-related scrutiny,¡± he said.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com