Kainar Academy provides education in accordance with international standards
Founded in 1991 and being one of the first higher educational institutions of the new formation, established on commercial initiatives in independent Kazakhstan, the University Kainar continues its work today as the Kainar Academy since October 2014
In 1991, the admission of 44 students for the specialties “Kazakh Language,” “Pedagogy,” and “Psychology” was carried out for the first time, and in 1992 – 56 students for the specialties “International Relations,” “International Economic Relations,” and “International Law.” The curricula for these new specialties were developed based on the State Standard of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Kainar Academy provides educational services on the basis of license No. KZ11LAA00003786.
Special requirements are placed on the personnel potential at the Kainar Academy. The concentration of the best intellectual potential and practicing specialists at the Academy makes it possible to provide students with relevant, high-quality education. Therefore, the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative composition of the teaching staff, taking into account the regulatory requirements for their professional and scientific qualification, is in the constant focus of attention of the administration of the Kainar Academy.
The institutional policy of management of the teaching staff is implemented by the Academy within the framework of such principles as a democratic approach to the management of faculty and employees, a combination of the interests of the managerial team and the managed subsystem, accessibility of management, observance of balance, creation of a climate and atmosphere of initiative and creativity, stimulation of the activity of the teaching staff, and professional and personal improvement of personnel.
The Kainar Academy Development Program was approved by the Academic Council of the Academy (protocol 6/54 of January 28, 2020). The Kainar Academy Development Program is aimed at achieving a high level of development through the implementation of the goals and objectives set by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the framework of the development of higher and postgraduate education in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
It is obvious that the addresses and unique strategies of the President of the country Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will play an important role in achieving the set goals. External factors include: the level of preparation of graduates, employers’ opinions about the taught disciplines, the presence of vacancies in the labor market. In connection with the development of new technologies, the labor market requires a change of established professions, qualification requirements are changing, which leads to the appearance of new areas of specialization as well as staff qualifications: academic degree, level of professional development; the level of publication activity – textbooks, teaching aids, monographs, articles with impact factor, BSSCC, international conferences.
The policy of ensuring the quality of educational programs finds its reflection in the initiative scientific research approved by the National Center for State Scientific and Technical Expertise.
For the development of certain competencies among students, teachers use innovative, practice-oriented teaching methods: the method of group discussion, portfolio, mixed questioning, the method of teaching in small groups, and presentations.
Innovative teaching methods are aimed at the maximum realization of students’ knowledge and skills, which are responsible for a certain professional orientation and the results of the educational process. Video materials created by each member of the teaching staff are widely used for the demonstration of lecture material. The classrooms are equipped with the necessary multimedia equipment.
The classrooms are fully equipped with interactive whiteboards, screens, and projectors. The educational program “1C-Accounting” is used, completed with 10 copies of software. The share of classes conducted using interactive and innovative teaching methods has increased due to the constant equipping of classrooms and laboratories with interactive equipment.
The administration of Kainar Academy organizes professional development courses for teachers.
In accordance with the agreement with Wisen University (Sweden), Doctor of Philosophy, Dr. Tuncay Sevindik, delivered a lecture to students and the teaching staff of Kainar Academy on the topic “Distance learning technologies and blockchain technologies in the educational process.”
Students from near-abroad countries study in the department; therefore, in order to ensure the successful adaptation of foreign students in the Academy and to reduce the likelihood of problems and conflicts, a “Program for the adaptation of foreign students to the conditions and requirements of the educational process at Kainar Academy” has been developed.
The program for the adaptation and support of foreign students at Kainar Academy includes the following activities:
- Visa support and registration with the Migration Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- Familiarization with the rules of entry/exit and stay in the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- Familiarization with the rules for admission of foreign citizens to higher education institutions of Kazakhstan;
- Explanation of the procedure for the nostrification of educational documents;
- Introduction to the learning process at the Academy;
- Russian or Kazakh language training.
Group and individual courses of Kazakh/Russian language are held for foreign students who do not speak the Kazakh language; assistance is provided in obtaining medical insurance and medical services; accommodation of foreign students in dormitories is organized, with control over compliance with internal regulations; participation of students in events at the university, city, and other levels is ensured.
A guide for foreign students has been created, which includes visa and consular issues, rules of stay in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, brief information about the educational process, academic programs, necessary emergency phone numbers, as well as contact information of responsible persons of Kainar Academy.
Nonresident students are 100% provided with places in the student dormitory, where all conditions for comfortable living are created: the rooms are furnished, there are bathrooms, electric stoves, washing machines (automatic), microwave ovens, etc. Curators and consultants of the department provide comprehensive assistance to students in the process of adaptation to the new educational environment. For this purpose, an introductory course on the issues of studying for foreign students and their stay in another country is conducted, since for them, traveling to another country and even simple communication requires considerable effort.
Of course, great attention is paid to familiarizing foreign students with the history of our country, the city of Almaty, the customs and traditions of the peoples of Kazakhstan, and the cultural life of the city. All this allows foreign students to quickly adapt to the new educational and cultural environment.
The admissions committee carries out the acceptance of documents from individuals who possess educational documents from international and foreign educational institutions and who apply to the Academy in accordance with the requirements of the Lisbon Convention.
An acting representative of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan is present in the Public Service Centers. In accordance with Order No. 125 of March 16, 2017, “On the principles of recognition and nostrification of educational documents,” foreign students may nostrify their foreign educational documents.
The internal documents of the Academy confirm the university’s commitment to adhering in its policy to the documents of the Bologna Process, including the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon, 1997).
Previously, in its policy, the Academy adhered to European standards in education, in particular recognizing academic achievements and performing the recalculation of ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
It is known that at present, processes of harmonization between European and national standards are underway; the State Compulsory Standards of Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education for 2018 (with amendments and additions as of May 5, 2020) have come into force.
The Academy’s policy on maintaining documents of the Bologna Process is presented in the Quality Assurance Policy, the Development Program of the Academy, and other internal documents.
The personnel policy of Kainar Academy is aimed at improving the methods and approaches used in practical activities to achieve the goals of ensuring the high quality of the educational process. Kainar Academy participates in the processes of personnel selection and training; in particular, the selection and hiring of employees are carried out taking into account their basic professional knowledge, as well as their practical experience, personal abilities, professional expertise, and publishing activity (publication of textbooks, monographs, articles recommended by the State Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and in rating journals such as SCOPUS).
The main goal of work with teachers and staff of educational programs is the creation of conditions for their professional and personal growth. This is facilitated by the development of a set of measures aimed at forming a system for improving the qualifications of teaching personnel, ensuring social protection of employees, developing a positive social environment in the Academy, and improving the system of material incentives for the work of teaching and administrative staff.
The President of the country presented his pre-election program “Common Good for All! Continuity. Justice. Progress.” Supporting this program, the Academy strives to become a competitive higher educational institution, a “source of Kazakhstani science,” with a new goal — increasing the intellectual potential and literacy of the country.
We are confident that our team, Kainar Academy, and the entire country, by actively participating in public affairs, are laying the foundation for large-scale reforms and positive changes, paving the way for new opportunities and modern trends, and we count on the support of the state.