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The Almaty Oblast Akimat in partnership with the University of Central Asia organised town hall briefings in Tekeli and Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan on 18 March 2016. The briefings were held to update the community of UCA’s developments in Kazakhstan and upcoming academic offerings at its first fully residential campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic opening in September 2016.


The Akimat of Tekeli, Kazakhstan organised a community town hall briefing for key representatives from government, academia, and community leaders by the University of Central Asia.
 
At the meeting, Talgat Kainarbekov, Akim (Mayor) of Tekeli City, Kazakhstan expressed his support for the University’s development and said Tekeli was making strides towards developing the local economy and surrounding community.
 
“Tekeli is the ideal location for a University town. We are on the pathway to development and have experienced tremendous growth both economically and in our citizenry. We endorse and fully support the University’s development and envision our beautiful setting to be filled with young university-going students soon,” he said.  

Representatives from state and regional government, academia, business and civil society attended both sessions which were held in public Akimat halls. Participants were briefed on the University’s plans, including the 2016 admissions campaign currently underway. In Taldykorgan, the session was led by Aliya Kurmangalieva, Head of Internal Policy, Almaty Oblast with both briefings chaired by Dr Raikhan Sissekenova, UCA Representative in Kazakhstan.


From left to right: Dr Bohdan Krawchenko, UCA Director General and Dean of Graduate Studies; Dr Raikhan Sissekenova, UCA Representative in Kazakhstan and Talgat Kainarbekov, Akim (Mayor) of Tekeli City, Kazakhstan addressing leading members of the community.
 
Dr Bohdan Krawchenko, UCA Director General and Dean of Graduate Studies, introduced the undergraduate programme and spoke about university admissions. In addition to responding to questions, Dr Krawchenko highlighted the University’s emphasis on promoting the economic development of mountain communities through innovation and technology.
 
“Understanding the real needs of the labour market has guided all of UCA’s initiatives here in Kazakhstan and throughout the region, and this is especially true of our undergraduate programmes. UCA’s degree specialisations were developed to make graduates employable immediately upon graduation, in well-paying industries where young people will see professional growth. Our vision for UCA graduates is that they will be innovators, leaders and job creators within the region’s important industries, here in Kazakhstan and throughout the region,” Dr Krawchenko said.
 
The town hall briefings are the most recent milestone in a history of consultation and cooperation between the University, government and the community. UCA has been active in both Tekeli and Taldykorgan through the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) since officially opening a Town Campus there in 2003.
 

Hosted by the Taldykorgan Akimat (government administration), Aliya Kurmangalieva, Head of Internal Policy, Almaty Oblast introduced Dr Bohdan Krawchenko, Director General and Dean of Graduate Studies.

Through partnerships with government and the private sector, UCA has delivered training to civil servants, promoted entrepreneurship and economic development, and strengthened skills in applied languages, Accounting and IT, among other areas. It has trained 85,000 students, including 16,900 from Kazakhstan. The Aga Khan Humanities Project partners with 33 universities in Kazakhstan, where 75 faculty deliver courses to an estimated 5,400 students.
 
Since the launch of the admissions campaign, UCA has held numerous information and application consultation sessions in Kazakhstan. In response to overwhelming student interest, UCA extended the application deadline to 15 April to ensure that students from rural and urban communities throughout Central Asia have ample time to submit their applications.