Today, a two-day seminar entitled “Quality of Educational Programmes” commenced at Abai University as part of the Technical Assistance Mission (TAM). The event is being held with the support of the Erasmus+ National Office in Kazakhstan, the National Team of Higher Education Reform Experts (HERE), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

The seminar brings together vice-rectors of higher education institutions across the country, heads of structural divisions, representatives of accreditation agencies, employers, researchers and experts. The participants are examining modern approaches to improving the quality of educational programmes and discussing key issues related to human capital development, including the integration of digitalisation and artificial intelligence into the higher education system.

Banu Narbekova, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Abai University and a member of the HERE team, moderated the seminar. She highlighted the universities’ right to independently develop their own educational programmes, noting that academic autonomy has been in place for more than eight years. At the same time, she emphasised that rapidly changing labour market requirements make it essential to continuously improve accreditation-related information and adapt educational programmes to emerging trends and modern demands.

Fabrice Henard, an expert invited from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), spoke about international practices in quality assurance and emphasised the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluation. Drawing on the experience of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, he presented approaches to the systematic improvement of educational programmes based on students’ academic performance and external expert assessments. According to him, regularly analysing such data makes it possible to identify shortcomings in a timely manner and introduce necessary changes without waiting for the next scheduled review cycle.

During the seminar, Gulvira Akybayeva, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Astana IT University, delivered a presentation on fostering a quality culture and strengthening institutional responsibility. In addition, Yulia Idiyatova, a representative of Qazaq AI Research University, addressed the development of internal quality assurance systems in Kazakhstan, the effectiveness of governance mechanisms and the institutional autonomy of higher education institutions.

During the practical session, participants were divided into several groups to discuss the relationship between external accreditation and internal quality culture, as well as ways to involve students in decision-making processes. The seminar continued after the lunch break with its second session, which focused on the alignment of higher education with labour market requirements. The international expert presented European approaches and shared experience in graduate employment and cooperation with employers.

Kazakhstani experts also delivered presentations based on statistical data, followed by practical exercises involving representatives of higher education institutions and employers. The first day's plenary session concluded with a question-and-answer session and a discussion of the key findings and conclusions.

It should be noted that the second day of the seminar will continue with breakout sessions focusing on accreditation, rankings and external quality assurance. Participants will discuss the latest European trends and current challenges in the recognition of micro-credentials and quality assurance mechanisms. Experts will also share their views on aligning licensing and accreditation systems within the National Qualifications Framework, with a roadmap to be developed as a result.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   «Abai University» Media Centre