Kazakhstani universities to receive academic freedom in 2019

"Within the process of liberalization, from 2019 it is planned to take measures on expanding academic and managerial freedom through their trasformation to non-profit joint-stock companies and since this year the Law on academic freedom of universities is in the Parliament under the consideration. We think that this draft law will be issued by the middle of the year", says Bibigul Asylova.

Also, the Vice-Minister noted that the program "Balapan", calling it as one of the successful examples of attracing of private investments.

"From the moment of implementation of the program, by the expense of private investments, 2336 private kindergartens and mini-centers were constructed. For 7 years of implementation of the program, 900 billion tenge was allocated", informs the Vice-Minister.

Accoding to her, the Ministry continues to work in this direction, in the accordance with the instruction of the Head of State, announced in the Address and the further introduction of per capita financing in city schools is planned.

"Last year, amendments were made to the law on education, which allows to place the state educational order in private schools. It is planned to determine places of the order of 3 721 places in private schools. In this direction, the tasks of the Governor's Offices will be set, in order to attract private investments into the sphere of education, so that they envisage the corresponding budget funds for the placement of the state order received as a result of approbation. New experience in managing schools on the examples of Astana and Shymkent will appear. Full-scale per capita financing will be projected  to other regions of the republic, in particular, to regional centers, cities with high demographic growth", says the Vice-Minister.

In addition, she notes that with the aim to attract the private business to construction of schools similarly with the program "Balapan" it is planned to optimize the existing construction norms and rules, as well as  to ease the qualification requirements when licencing education establishments.

"Within liberalization of the sphere of education, it is planned to change the organizational legal form of schools to a state-owned enterprise. At the present time, we have developed a draft law and want to introduce relevant amendments to a range of legislations. However, this process will be implemented gradually and at will of schools", concludes Bibigul Asylova.

Kairat Zhandybayev