Kazakhstan modernizes education and transforms economies with Coursera

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MSHE) is modernizing the higher education system to align with the country’s shift from a raw-material export model to a diversified, tech-driven economy.  Coursera aims to help improve the skills of graduates, who will contribute to the sustainable growth of the country. 

In 2022, MSHE partnered with Coursera to equip students with in-demand, job-ready skills by integrating professionally relevant content into university curricula. 

The project began with 25 universities and within a year expanded to 93 higher education institutions across Kazakhstan, providing access to world-class globally recognized courses and Professional Certificates to over 111,000 students to date. Universities across Kazakhstan now offer students a wider range of online, for-credit courses, marking a transformative shift from the in-class traditional education system. 

The top skills being developed include computer science (Python), machine learning and AI, leadership, business, productivity, and time management, with recent additions of teacher training curriculum and generative AI.

Challenge

Modernizing Kazakhstan's Educational System

Kazakhstan's shift toward diverse, high-value industries posed several challenges for the government to align the education system with evolving national goals and ensure that graduates are equipped with job-ready skills.

Challenge 1: Aligning education with economic goals Kazakhstan began reducing its reliance on raw material exports in the early 2010s. In 2012, the government introduced the "Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy" to diversify the economy and decrease dependence on oil and gas. This strategy prioritizes developing key industries like manufacturing, agriculture, services, and technology. To support this shift, the government invested in infrastructure, attracted foreign investment, and focused on equipping people with relevant skills. Universities and colleges play an essential role in this vision by preparing a skilled workforce for these emerging sectors.

Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek emphasizes the critical role of education in this transition, stating:

We are part of a global chain at its lowest level by producing raw materials. If you want to move up higher on the value-added chain, you need a workforce. You need trained people, professionals, and engineers, who do the processing and add value. To add value, it all comes down to your universities and colleges. 

Challenge 2: Closing the skills gap As the economy transformed, higher education needed to keep pace. A significant step toward modernizing the education system was joining the European Higher Education Area, aligning Kazakhstan educational system with international standards. While universities provided a strong academic foundation,  a more practical component was required to prepare graduates for the job market, which demands special technical and professional skills.

Challenge 3: Increasing global competitiveness Kazakhstan's higher education system needed to expand international reach, broadened students’ perspectives and make them more competitive  in the global job market. 

Challenge 4: Creating localized learning content

To reach students across the country and ensure equal opportunities, it was crucial to offer relevant content in their native languages, which required innovative, technology-driven solutions.

Tailored Curricula with Local Partner Support

To align the program with national standards the Ministry formed a working group with the Republican Educational and Methodical Council of Higher and Post-University Education. This group collaborated with top educators to select courses for localization into Kazakh and developed a methodology for recognizing online courses in curricula that matched their bachelor’s and master’s programs.

Faculty engaged in thorough discussions about integrating digital learning, considering both potential benefits and challenges. Many faculty members were initially cautious about integrating online learning, hesitant to embrace such a significant change. Some universities were unsure how online learning would fit into their established curriculum, while others questioned whether digital content could meet their academic standards and teaching styles. To address these concerns, the Ministry and BMG offered targeted support, sharing success stories from international and Kazakh universities to demonstrate the positive impact and results of the online learning format.

Through these discussions, the Ministry and BMG helped universities recognize how integrating Coursera could support their academic goals and equip students with  job-ready skills. This approach inspired a shift in mindset, with universities moving from initial skepticism to actively incorporating Coursera courses into their curricula. 

The Ministry monitored progress closely and used a top-down approach to ensure effective use of Coursera licenses. University rectors approved the integration of Coursera courses into faculty curricula, allowing each faculty the flexibility to determine how best to incorporate the courses into their specific programs. Faculties followed guidance from the Ministry and BMG to recognize course credits. At least two project administrators, typically overseen by the vice-rector for academic affairs, were appointed to work with Coursera. These administrators connected students to the platform and facilitated the credit recognition process.

BMG provided comprehensive methodological support to assist faculty administrators  with course integration and offered direct learner support for students:

• An online calculator was developed to help faculty determine appropriate credit weighting for courses aligned with university disciplines.

• Assistance was provided for students email validation and learner enablement on the platform  

• A Power BI tool was developed to streamline student progress tracking, monitor license usage, and securely share reports with the Ministry.

• BMG created a website with detailed video and written instructions in the native languages, provided learner support through telephone, WhatsApp, and email, and organized Zoom sessions for students and faculty members—all available in both Kazakh and Russian.

The Ministry encouraged faculties to develop their own online courses using Course Builder, an AI-assisted authoring tool that helps professors create custom content. This initiative inspired faculties to integrate Coursera further into their teaching, fostering a culture of innovation and embracing further the concept of online learning and online teaching.

“Since the project's inception, there have been initiatives to develop author-led online courses by Kazakh professors,” says Bolat Zhamishev, chairman of the Qazaqstan Halqyna Public Fund. “The successful integration of digital technologies has made online learning a routine part of the educational experience for students and professors alike.”