Bolashak graduates may find employment abroad

The Kazakh science and higher education ministry eyes changes to the Bolashak international scholarship concerning a motivational essay, the list of specialties and re-conduct of scholarship tests, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

Among the changes is the introduction of a motivational essay, requiring applicants to state reasons why they’re applying for Bolashak scholarship.

A free-format motivational essay should include under 500 words, where the candidate argues reasons why he applies for the chosen university and his advantages in the selected area, why he needs the scholarship and the results he expects once he acquires the knowledge in the selected area and its further use in practice, reads the corresponding order.

According to the document, submission of a medical report is excluded.

The notion of a ‘priority area’ is introduced instead of a list of specialties.

The aim of these novelties is to better match the priorities of the state in its social and economic development as well as increase the focus on the key areas that are most relevant to the country. The new mechanism for choosing the area will be approved by the republican commission and the working group based on recommendations from central government authorities, enabling to concentrate resources on the aeras, that are of strategic importance to the country such as engineering and technical sciences, medicine, social sciences, water and land resources and so on, reads the document.

A Split PhD degree, which is a PhD program model, allowing to undertake studies at two partner universities: an organization of higher and (or) postgraduate education of Kazakhstan and a foreign partner university, is set to be included according to the document.

The document suggests excluding the pre-master’s degree training, it was added.

The key change concerns Bolashak graduates’ employment abroad, in organizations, where Kazakhstan or the country’s national companies hold shares as well as international and regional organizations, of which Kazakhstan is a member and that have international agreements, ratified by Kazakhstan.

Such international organizations include the UN, UNDP, SCO, OSCE.

The changes also allow for a repeated participation of the candidate, meaning that the candidate could re-apply for the scholarship.