Digital transformation in higher education
Images | primeminister.kz
The government of Kazakhstan is implementing a large-scale programme to modernise higher education in partnership with Coursera, primeminister.kz reports.
With the transition from a commodity-based economy to value-added production and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important for the country to rethink its approach to education.
The growing need for a skilled workforce with digital skills underscores the need for higher education reform. According to Tableau's report, by 2025, 70% of workers will actively use data in their work, which confirms the relevance of Kazakhstan's efforts to prepare students for today's challenges, including language barriers, skills mismatch, limited international experience, and technological integration.
As noted by Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, the country needs a skilled labour force to transition to value-added production.
In this regard, in September 2022, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed with Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda the possibilities of cooperation. As a result, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan became a Coursera partner, which enabled the introduction of professional certificates and courses to train students in in-demand areas such as cybersecurity and programming.
The collaboration introduced professional certificates, courses and specialisations to train students in cybersecurity, project management, UX design and software development.
The project initially covered 25 universities, but expanded to 93 higher education institutions in just one year. Coursera courses were gradually integrated into the curriculum, offering students blended learning and self-paced courses.
In 2023, 853 Coursera standalone courses replaced 116 university disciplines, and 3,244 courses were partially integrated into 1,631 disciplines. In 2023 alone, more than 46,000 students earned 73,000 certificates in various disciplines.
Collectively, these efforts are helping not only to modernise Kazakhstan's education system. We make sure that our students are prepared to succeed in a globalised digital world. This is the future of education in Kazakhstan, and we aim to become leaders on this path," Sayasat Nurbek said.
Kazakhstan's professional development programme is already generating interest among faculty. More than 300 faculty members have even begun developing their own courses. The introduction of artificial intelligence technologies into the teaching process also creates new opportunities for adapting content to local conditions.
The Kazakhstan Higher Education Digital Transformation Initiative essentially demonstrates how joint efforts of the Government, educational institutions and businesses can create a workforce ready for the challenges of the future.
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