On January 18, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek met with Ambassador of Canada to Kazakhstan Alan Hamson to discuss the possibility of expanding cooperation between Kazakh universities and their Canadian counterparts, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry's press service.
The Science Minister expressed Kazakhstan's readiness to foster a mutually beneficial partnership with Canada.
"Competition in higher education around the world is gaining momentum. In this regard, our country is taking concrete measures to ensure that Kazakh students receive knowledge and skills that will be in demand both in Kazakhstan and abroad. Currently, by the beginning of 2024, we already have eight branches of leading foreign universities,” said Nurbek.
Nurbek added that the government is actively exploring the possibility of establishing a state technical university in Zhezkazgan. The Ministry is currently working on providing faculty and educational programs in collaboration with a consortium of Canadian universities. Additionally, efforts are underway to sign a memorandum between the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ulytau regional administration, and the Kazakhmys mining company. The regional administration has already allocated 25 hectares of land for the construction of the future campus.
Ambassador Hamson supported the idea of involving Canadian universities in this project.
Canada and Kazakhstan are similar in many ways – agriculture, oil and gas, mining, and education. We can say that there are great synergies between our countries, so it makes a lot of sense for us to cooperate with you.
At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to collaborate on the development of a draft memorandum outlining the cooperation with Canadian universities.