Access and equity in higher education in Kazakhstan

Chapter 8 - Access and Equity in Higher Education in Indonesia: A Review from the Periphery

Equity in higher education is mostly related to the context in which it is discussed. Most commonly, equity is sought for enhancing access to higher education for under-represented groups such as minorities, low income groups, or any other type of disadvantaged group of people. The plethora of research in this area mostly focuses on different types of affirmative action aiming to enroll more under-represented groups in higher education, whereas in the research on equity, within the context of educational outcomes and quality, the interaction between equity and quality in higher education is scarce. This paper discusses the entangled issues of equity and quality in higher education and explores the possible solutions to promoting both. It concludes that admission models aiming to achieve equity in higher education should be more outcomes-based (e.g., increase success) rather than process-based (e.g., increase participation).

This article analyses the current higher education equity policy in Kazakhstan. It provides a statistical overview of the existing situation with equity in higher education. It then applies the policy triangle framework to a set of policy documents, secondary statistical data and information from the websites of official agencies responsible for equity initiatives to analyse the actors, context, content and process of the existing equity policy. Finally, it identifies a set of measures, which can be taken to ensure true commitment to achieving equity goals in higher education in Kazakhstan.

The history of women's engagement with the academy has been characterised by exclusion and inequality. Seven decades ago, Virginia Woolf1 asked: Do we want to join the procession or don't we? On wh...

One of the most important strategies of promoting higher education adopted in the recent years has been the promotion of private sector participation in higher education. It is argued by some that private higher education would improve equity, access and quality in higher education. But it shown here drawing from Indian and global experience that (a) public higher education has the greatest potential to address the issue of equity in higher education; (b) charity and philanthropy-based private sector may also have high potential in addressing this issue; (c) state-supported and effectively regulated private sector can address the issue to some extent; and (d) the private higher education sector based on the market principles can actually work against the principles and goals of access, equity and excellence in higher education.

Digital equity, grounded in principles of equity and the ethics of care, is essential for ensuring quality higher education. It facilitates access, supports sustainability, and promotes inclusive education by addressing the technological dimensions of education. This study explores the relationship between digital equity and sustainability in higher education. A total of 167 students enrolled in initial teacher education programs at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Education, completed a questionnaire featuring the Digital Equity in Higher Education Scale and the Sustainability in Higher Education Scale. To achieve this study’s objectives, a principal factor analysis was conducted to validate the scales, and a multiple linear regression was employed to develop a predictive model. The findings revealed that digital equity in higher education comprises five dimensions as follows: (i) access to teachers who support the use of digital technology; (ii) access to digital technology and opportunities for its use; (iii) access to digital resources; (iv) access to culturally relevant software and applications; and (v) access to open-access resources. Sustainability in higher education encompasses two dimensions as follows: (i) collaborative problem solving and (ii) socioemotional aspects of sustainability. These dimensions interact in a complex manner. Key predictors of digital equity and sustainability included access to and use of digital technology, as well as collaborative problem solving. Importantly, this study highlighted the critical role of skilled teachers in facilitating the effective use of digital technology.

Higher education in Kazakhstan is a relevant research topic, as it is key to developing the country's human capital. The main objective of this study is to assess the accessibility of higher education and develop recommendations for improving the funding system, taking into account labor market needs. The research focuses on the financial aspects of educational accessibility, including the state grant system and university funding mechanisms.The scientific significance of this work lies in the analysis of the existing educational grant system in Kazakhstan and its impact on the accessibility of higher education for students from various social groups. The research methodology includes economic-statistical and abstract-logical methods for analyzing data on student financial support and state educational orders.The study reveals both the positive aspects of the per capita funding system for universities and its limitations, such as the concentration of resources in major universities and possible declines in educational accessibility in certain regions. Study data confirm the need for more precise planning of educational grants to labor market demands.The practical significance of the work lies in its proposals for enhancing the higher education funding system in Kazakhstan, which will ensure equal access to education and improve its quality. The study’s contribution is well-founded recommendations for creating a more balanced system focused on training professionals needed under contemporary conditions.

This critical interpretive paper deploys Walter Mignolo's geopolitics of knowledge concept to examine higher education internationalisation in Kazakhstan. Amidst growing concerns about economic and environmental sustainability, elitism and cognitive justice, among other critical issues, internationalisation remains a vital government policy. By tracing Kazakhstan's development since independence from the Soviet Union and focusing on key higher education development policy frameworks, the paper argues and illustrates that: (1) the internationalisation of higher education in Kazakhstan promotes a specific representation of the world that is considered universal and modern; (2) the internationalisation of higher education in Kazakhstan illustrates the existing hierarchical global higher education system that is dominated by the West as centres of knowledge and learning while allocating other countries peripheral roles; and (3) the geopolitics of knowledge concept enables the reading of higher education internationalisation beyond what is knowledge to who, why and where knowledge is produced. The data for this paper came from a qualitative study that involved 15 semi‐structured interviews with graduates who studied abroad at Western universities through the government‐sponsored Bolashak Scholarship. Three focus group sessions with 21 graduate students at Nazarbayev University complemented the interviews. The qualitative data suggest that Mignolo's geopolitics of knowledge offers a close‐to‐perfect description of the internationalisation of higher education in Kazakhstan. The conclusion drawn from this post‐Soviet study is the universalisation of Western knowledge as nations utilise it for meaningful development, despite decolonial and cognitive justice concerns.

A Dual admission model for equity in higher education: a multi-cohort longitudinal study

This article presents concepts underlying the organization of the educational process in institutions of higher education in Kazakhstan. The project is part of systemic educational reform efforts in the face of recent, profound socio-political changes in the nation. The project focuses specifically on the value of training future teachers through extracurricular activities and argues that such training effectively forms the professional qualities needed by high-quality teachers—abilities to implement active learning, democratize the learning process, and develop the nation’s cultural and national mentality, among others. The research used a variety of methods to develop a model for this type of teacher training and reports the results of the model’s implementation, partially in comparison with practicing teachers. The model is found to be effective, and its implementation within the university’s framework is carefully detailed. Included is the overall conceptualization—the mission, goals, and educational strategies—needed for 21st-century higher education in Kazakhstan. The main orientations of educational work is highlighted—formation of ethical personal and professional qualities; of Kazakhstani patriotism, citizenship, and cultural identification; of morality and tolerance in the face of multiculturalism; and training for a healthy lifestyle. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p2738

The increasing participation rate in higher education has raised its own issues, such as how to fund the growth while retaining the quality of education. In Finland, it has been argued that the tuition-free higher education policy increases equality. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, establishing a system of tuition fees supported by an income-contingent loan system for students has also been argued to increase equality. In Australia, students also face high tuition fees for higher education, as well as a support system focused on domestic students. In addition to tuition fees, entrance examinations also play a crucial part in higher education systems. In order to examine inequalities in higher education from the students’ point of view, tuition fees are scrutinised in connection with equality, and entrance examinations in relation to cultural reproduction. Comparing examples of higher music education institutions in Finland, the United Kingdom, and Australia shows that there are large differences between the tuition fees charged for domestic and international students, as well as between countries. Entrance examinations in higher music education are similar in these countries, but may include inequalities based on long traditions in the field of music, especially in classical music. By revealing misconceptions about equity in higher education, it is possible to have a critical debate about the role of tuition fee systems as they are connected with the economics of higher education, and about entrance examinations as reproducing social class inequalities. This discussion may contribute to the redefinition and reformation of more equitable and just education systems, and promote equality in general in society.

This paper examines several research questions relating to equality and equity in Chinese higher education via an extended literature review, which in turn sheds light on evolving scholarly explorations into this theme. First, in the post-massification era, has the Chinese situation of equality and equity in higher education improved or deteriorated since the late 1990s? Second, what are the core issues with respect to equality and equity in Chinese higher education? Third, how have those core issues evolved or changed over time and what does the evolution indicate and entail? Methodologically, this paper uses a bibliometric analysis to detect the topical hotspots in scholarly literature and their changes over time. The study then investigates each of those topical terrains against their temporal contexts in order to gain insights into the core issues.

The paper examines the expected impact by the current policy approach taken by the Ministry of Education and Research in Kazakhstan (KZ) that seeks to decrease the number of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in this country. This policy approach is carried out through a set of specific policies (steps) affecting Higher Education (HE) market operators. These policies aim at raising HE standards and overall competitiveness of KZ HEI. This exploratory study seeks to examine the underlying assumption about the causal relationship between a smaller number of stricter HE policy-compliant HEI and the resultant competitiveness of the national HE. As an outcome, the paper produces a summative view of HEI's perceptions and attitude toward the current set of HE policies intended to reduce the supply-side size of HE market in KZ. The study also provides the findings regarding assessments by HEI-based stakeholders in Kazakhstan regarding the relative effectiveness of each of those policies as well their perceptions of the forthcoming reforms in the area of Academic Liberty (Self-governance) in KZ.

The impact of globalization on higher education in Kazakhstan: political and legal aspects The purpose of this paper is to carry out a theoretical and historical analysis of political and legal acts of internationalization and to identify the impact of globalization processes on higher education in certain countries. The research is conducted by documentary analysis based on the qualitative research method. The origins of global trends in higher education, such as the Washington Consensus, the Bologna Process, and other political phenomena, have been explored through documentary analysis of legal acts. Additional materials for research were obtained from various official documents and information sources using the method of secondary data analysis. Also, research papers on this topic were analysed using the methods of historical and logical analysis. As a result of the study, it was revealed that global policy in the field of higher education is based on a neoliberal idea and was initiated by Western countries. It was noted that the Washington Consensus and some international financial institutions were involved in the dissemination of neoliberal ideas in higher education. It was concluded that the idea of solving social issues in higher education through the market model was developed on the advice of American economists and was aimed at establishing American economic dominance. It has been suggested that the effective functioning of the governance system is a key factor affecting the overall efficiency of the university, and in this regard, Kazakhstani universities still need to be improved. It is hoped that the recommendations and conclusions of the study will be taken into account  by the authorities when reforming the governance system in higher education. It is also expected that this article will serve as a theoretical underpinning for future research on this topic. Key words: globalization, neoliberalism, state universities, governance, law and politics.

This study analyzes how state-legal control has fostered higher education in Kazakhstan using the best legal techniques from the US, UK, Germany, and France. Kazakhstan needs strong legislative power, economic accountability, institutional independence, and academic freedom to develop its university system and compete globally. The study aims to establish a state-legal regulating structure for Kazakhstan's universities using global best practices. The study used panel data from 2000 to 2023 using the ARDL approach to assess the long-term and short-term effects of legislative and policy issues on higher education quality. The Pedroni residual cointegration test confirms long-run equilibrium relationships between variables, and robust least squares regression analyzes country-specific effects. The panel ARDL found that firm legal control, public education spending, research and development, and student mobility improve higher education quality. However, university autonomy has varied effects in the long run. Short-term academic independence hurts education quality, but student mobility is desirable. Results show that public education investment and student mobility increase higher education in Kazakhstan, but academic freedom diminishes it. US education quality is improved by strict legislative oversight but lowered by public education funding and university autonomy. This study developed the LEGAF-EDU (Legal, Governance, Autonomy, and Funding for Higher Education Development) Framework, a transformative model for Kazakhstan's regulatory concerns. This strategy combines legislative monitoring with institutional autonomy to create a stable, flexible government that assures high-quality education and holds the state accountable. The study advances legislation and policy by proposing an evidence-based higher education reform for Kazakhstan.