Kazakhstan on track for 1 million students after 2030

Speaking at the National Think Tank Forum "Projection of the Future: From Assessing Results to a New Agenda" in Astana, the minister noted that in 2022, there were 618,000 students in Kazakhstan's universities. In just four years, that figure has risen to 740,000.

"According to our forecasts, the number of students will approach 1 million after 2030," Sayasat Nurbek said.

He noted that the growth is partly due to demographic shifts. Therefore, Kazakhstan needs to prepare its higher education system in advance for the increase in student numbers.

"Our common stance is to maintain a high level of accessibility to higher education. We must ensure that as many young people as possible have the opportunity to acquire higher and vocational education," the minister emphasized.

Sayasat Nurbek also highlighted positive changes in the technical and vocational education system.

He said that around 500 educational programs have been revised, and 27 colleges have undergone international certification and accreditation for the first time, confirming their compliance with international standards.

"Previously, colleges used to remain a separate segment of the education system. Now the Ministry of Enlightenment has begun significant efforts in this direction. Each area of vocational education has its accreditation standards," the minister underlined.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan is set to double PhD stipends in the coming years.