Need of introduction of an accreditation procedure to a system of the higher education of Kazakhstan was caused by several reasons:
- implementation of agreements between the EurAsEC and CIS countries according to which mutual recognition of diplomas of the highest and average professional institutions is carried out only for graduates of the accredited higher education institutions and colleges;
- protection of the rights for education abroad and on the international labor market of citizens of Kazakhstan – according to the international requirements the higher educational institution has to pass accreditation in the country, otherwise its diplomas, even the state sample, don't admit abroad;
- integration of the system of the higher and postgraduate education of Kazakhstan into Bologna Process;
- cooperation with the international networks on education quality for information exchange and development of comparable criteria and procedures.
Now in the Law on education the separate article 9-1 is devoted to accreditation as to one of the most important instruments of improvement of educational services quality. National and international accreditation authorities can carry out accreditation on the basis of the standards developed by them. The Ministry of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan forms the register of the accreditation agencies recognized in Kazakhstan.
For 2023, 12 agencies are included in this register:
- IAAR, Independent accrediting agency and rankings, Kazakhstan;
- IKQAAE, Independent Kazakhstan Quality Assurance Agency in Education, Kazakhstan;
- ASIIN, Agency for accreditation of educational programs in engineering, computer science, natural sciences and mathematics, Germany
- ACQUIN, Institute of accreditation, certification and quality assurance, Germany
- ACBSP, Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, USA
- ABET, Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, USA
- FIBAA - Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation, Germany
- KAZSEE, Kazakhstan Association for Modern (Elite) Education, Kazakhstan;
- ARQA, Independent agency for recognition and quality assurance in education, Kazakhstan;
- MusiQuE - Music Quality Enhancement, Belgium
- ECAQA, Non-profit Institution «The Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality assurance in Higher Education and Health Care», Kazakhstan;
- IKCA, Non-profit Institution «Independent Kazakhstan Center of Accreditation», Kazakhstan.
In Kazakhstan accreditation is recognized, which is obtained at these agencies since the formation of the registry on May 31, 2012.
According to the Education Law of Kazakhstan (Article 9-1), accreditation is voluntary. The institute of higher education chooses the accreditation organ, entered in the register MES, and pays the accreditation procedure at their own expense.
Educational organizations that have passed specialized accreditation may issue certificates of education to citizens own sample of accredited programs.
Institutions that have passed the institutional and specialized accreditation relieve from state certification procedures for accredited programs for a period of accreditation.
Also following amendments are entered into the Law on education:
- financing staff training on the basis of an educational grant will be carried out in the education organizations, which have passed institutional accreditation;
- financing staff training on separate specialties on the basis of an educational grant will be carried out in the education organizations, which have passed specialized accreditation on these specialties.
These amendments are entered since January 1, 2014 – for staff training with postgraduate education, and since January 1, 2015 – for staff training with the higher education.
Thus, for HEIs an important strategic task is the institutional and specialized accreditation in the agencies included in the approved register.
