The University of Nottingham has been taking on Bolashak scholars since the inception of the scheme in 1993.
Aigerim Kydyrbekova, a Bolashak scholar from The University of Nottingham said: “The Bolashak Scholarship Scheme gives Kazakhstani young people the opportunity to grow professionally, and the opportunity to realise their ambitious ideas.”
Aigerim graduated in 2012 with a degree from the School of Computer Science. She said: “The Bolashak scholarship programme helped me to continue my education, but it’s not only about the education, this programme helped me expand my world. The School of Computer Science has given me direction for my future career and has sent me to new steps of training.”
In 1991 Kazakhstan was facing economic turmoil, social inefficiency and environmental disasters, left by the Soviet Union. It was then that the leadership of the newly formed Republic of Kazakhstan realised that to build an economically and politically viable state they needed to pursue an active policy of learning by benefitting from the most advanced educational systems in the world.
Aidar Abrayev, a Bolashak scholar studying for an MA in Educational Leadership and Management at Nottingham said: “I feel so proud that the Bolashak programme has been set by President Nursultan Nazarbayev at difficult times for our country, in order to enrich human capital. Bolashak still sticks to its mission and is showing great outcomes.
“Since being abroad on Internship, I have visited world renowned institutions of higher education and since that time I perceive that we ought to improve our own higher education system. Thanks to the Bolashak scholarship my aspirations have been very well supported and now I am studying at one of the Russell Group’s, The University of Nottingham.”
To be chosen on to the Bolashak Scholarship Scheme, there is a highly competitive selection process with rigorous criteria. This is to assure that only the best students, who represent Kazakhstan’s most promising young leaders, are named Bolashak Scholars.
Aizhan Mussina, MA Educational Leadership and Management Nottingham alumni and Bolashak Scholar said: “Being a ‘Bolashaker’, a graduate of the Bolashak programme, is a calling card in any person’s career in Kazakhstan. It contributes significantly to creating a new layer of Kazakhstan society: young and ambitious Kazakhstanis who have a critical mindset, who think differently, who are active and eager to change and improve processes in this country.
“Studying at The University of Nottingham was a special period of my life, and a huge shift in my career and social life. I quite often think about the lectures I attended and our professors, and I’m still admiring how thoroughly the programme of study was developed as it still gives me a sense of achievement.”
Leo Cutting, International Officer of The University of Nottingham will be in Almaty on the 25th and 26th of October and in Astana on the 27th, 28th and the 29th October. Leo is available to meet anyone during this time who is after more information.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
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