The Presidential Center of the Department of Presidential Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan hosted a meeting with alums of the Bolashak scholarship, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the international scholarship, DKNews.kz reports.
Students of Kazakhstani universities and representatives of the republican volunteer movement attended the event.
The meetup format was not chosen by chance. It allowed young people to personally get acquainted with the success stories and achievements of the Bolashak program graduates, get answers to their questions, and contribute to the activation of their creative and intellectual potential.
"After 30 years, the Bolashak program is still relevant. Investing significant funds in developing human capital through the training of highly qualified personnel abroad, "social elevators" were created, and a creative core of talented Kazakh youth was formed. Currently, on behalf of the President of the country, K.K. Tokayev, the scholarship program is being reoriented. Now the priority is given to technical specialities in training" Deputy Director of the Presidential Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan Botagoz Kaipova
In turn, the head of the International Department of the Nursultan Nazarbayev Foundation, Ziyada Zhanatayeva, noted that the establishment of the Bolashak International scholarship at the dawn of independence was an unprecedented step and one of the breakthrough projects of that time aimed at forming a competitive nation.
According to Dmitry Gorbunov, one of the first fellows, head of the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery of JSC "National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center", the education and experience gained abroad allowed him to introduce and develop neonatal cardiac surgery in Kazakhstan successfully. Together with him, about ten graduates of the Bolashak program work at the Cardiac Surgery Center. It is worth noting that currently, Kazakhstan is the only country in Central Asia where newborns undergo heart surgery.
"There are no insurmountable obstacles for a purposeful person. It is necessary to study for the sake of knowledge, not for the sake of indicators. The state allows active youth to realize their potential and get an education in the world's top universities, and this opportunity should be used" Advisor to the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aidar Makhmetov
In his speech, Serik Nurkenov, associate professor at Astana International University and founder of nuclear medicine in Kazakhstan, emphasized that the state scholarship gave him a unique chance to work at the intersection of physics and medicine. Today, thanks to the achievements of domestic nuclear medicine, it is possible to diagnose cancer at early stages, which increases the chances of patients to recover.
Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Uteshev shared his personal experience with the participants. In his opinion, there is always time to get new knowledge. The Bolashak program includes both academic studies (master's and doctoral studies) and research and production internships in leading companies and universities around the world. He completed a scientific internship in the UK (Cambridge University) and is now actively applying the knowledge gained in his activities.
The Bolashak International Scholarship, established on November 5, 1993, has become one of the most important strategic projects of sovereign Kazakhstan. Its creation became the foundation of a new stage of modernization of the republic by creating a layer of qualified managers in all areas. Since the program's creation, the number of graduates has amounted to more than 12 thousand people.
Thanks to a wide range of study programs, training areas and geography of universities, Bolashak is recognized as the best program among 11 similar scholarships in the world, becoming the best model of human capital development for countries with transit economies.
The experience of the international scholarship "Bolashak" continues to be studied in China, Poland, Finland and also formed the basis of the Russian program "Global Education" and the scholarship program of the Republic of Tatarstan "Algarysh".
