Kozybayev University participates in the implementation of projects of the international Erasmus + program

From 15 to 17 October, the international celebration of #ErasmusDays will take place, an annual campaign to popularize the European Union's Erasmus+ program, which aims to modernize and sustainably develop the education system, vocational training, youth policy and sports.

Kozybayev University has been participating in the implementation of 5 Erasmus + projects since 2016. We will tell about each of them in a series of publications.

TRUNAK project “Transition to University Autonomy in Kazakhstan” (www.trunak.eu). Carried out from 2017 to 2021. Its goal is to create a model for the transition of Kazakhstani universities from a traditional form of management to an autonomous one. Democracy and academic freedom of universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan will contribute to raising the rating of our education system at the world level.

So far, the main result of the project is a new model of autonomy developed by a consortium of universities. It includes proposals for the legal consolidation of the concept of "University autonomy" in Kazakhstan, the creation of a National Council for Quality Assurance, the development of a National Quality Standard for Higher Education, a new procedure for the election of rectors, proposals to change the approach to funding research at universities and many other changes.

The results and experience of the project allowed Kozybayev University to take a big step forward in changing the internal management environment. In the context of expanding autonomy, the transparency of strategic planning and budgeting was increased, the model of internal distribution of finance was improved, its own rules for admission to the university were developed, responsibility for the quality of work was increased, the practice of horizontal management and competitive selection for the positions of deans and department directors was introduced.

A special role in the implementation of Erasmus+ projects is played by the development of the staff potential of the participating universities. “The project has significantly influenced my professional career,” said Natalya Pobezhuk, a member of the working group from Kozybayev University. - Studying the experience of different countries on autonomy, analysis of the regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of education within the framework of the project, made it possible to take an active part in the development of proposals for changing the regulatory legal acts. I have formed a strategic vision on expanding the independence of Kazakhstani universities and applying best practices in this area".

For the further development of the project, a consulting group of experts will be created, whose main task is to support Kazakhstan universities in introducing a new model of autonomy.