More than 14,000 Kazakh students receive Bolashak international scholarship over years of independence

It’s been 28 years since the foundation of Kazakhstan’s first international educational program “Bolashak” during the years of independence. Today it is the country’s successful brand. The project proved its effectiveness. Thanks to this program, high-level professionals are raised every year in Kazakhstan. Over 14,000 scholarships have been granted over the years of implementing the program.

“Of the total number of graduates, more than 50 percent completed their studies in humanities, over 30 percent received engineering and technical education, 7.8 percent - medical and less than 2 percent mastered creative disciplines. Now more than 50 percent of Bolashak graduates work in the public sector, over 30 percent – in private Kazakh companies, just over 15 percent – in foreign and international organizations, in the diplomatic service and in public associations, 2 percent – in national companies,” said Ainur Karbozova, President, Centre for International Programmes.

According to one of the first graduates of the program, the famous domestic heart surgeon Dmitry Gorbunov, the Bolashak is important for the country, since it increases its human capital, and for the students themselves. After all, fellows are given a chance to get an education of international level in best universities of the world. Then they contribute to the future of the country.

“During the studies, we saw European clinics where we did our internships. We have seen how this is organized in the best clinics in Europe. When we returned here, we wanted to do the same, to make it well-organized as well. Therefore, we began to develop some sectors in healthcare, which were not well developed in Kazakhstan before. We have organized the first pediatric cardiac surgery department together with colleagues, and then we organized the neonatal cardiac surgery for newborns. What I want to say is, it would probably be much more difficult to do this without the “Bolashak” program,” said Dmitry Gorbunov, a heart surgeon.

A pool of successful government officials, scientists, engineers was formed in the country thanks to the “Bolashak”. According to a study of the Centre for International Programmes, over the years of Independence, the graduates of the program have performed 213,000 surgeries, trained 145,000 school and university students, published more than a thousand scientific works, and acted as mentors for 90,000 wards. The “Bolashak” International Scholarship is implemented at the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan – Nursultan Nazarbayev.

 

Translation by Saniya Sakenova

Edited by Saule Mukhamejanova