Investment in ?Bolashak? to benefit Kazakhstan: B. Baibek, Association of ?Bolashak? graduates

ASTANA. January 14. KAZINFORM. /Zauresh Balkenova/ Over 15 years ago President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev established a scholarship for training our students abroad - the?Bolashak? program. Then in the early 90's, few understood the significance of this decision, even fewer could have called the project - breakthrough - for the young republic, unknown at that time for the West and when Kazakhstani population did not dare even dream of obtaining Oxford and Harvard diplomas.

10 years have passed since the first graduates of this program returned home with diplomas of the leading universities around the world and desire to make life in his/her own country not worse than in the developed countries where they obtained a prestigious education. For 15 years 1,500 young Kazakhstanis have succeeded in obtaining education within the ?Bolashak? program and at present 2,400 scholarship winners study abroad. 300 graduates of this program work for the government or national companies. Chairman of the Council of the Association of the ?Bolashak? graduates, created seven years ago, Baurzhan Baibek told Kazinform correspondent about the significance of this educational program, the ?Bolashak? spirit and plans on activation of the Association activity. Mr.Baibek, the number of the ?Bolashak? graduates now is rather enough to influence the processes in our state and society. Do you agree with it? I think that success of an individual as well as the whole state lies primarily in education, qualitative education. And the way to the club of developed countries with competitive human capital lies through well-educated nation with talented and ambitious young people able to make good and beneficial state policy. It is the experience of all the leading world powers, which managed to nurture elite layer of brilliantly educated managers who are entrusted with making important decisions. President Nursultan Nazarbayev foresaw the significance of such personnel for the development of young independent republic in those difficcult years, when there was instability and it was difficult to allocate funds for expensive education abroad. Not all could understand at that time why the state was to make such investments in education against high inflation, unemployment, sequestering of social expenditures. For example, in 1994 education fee in a US prestigious university was equal to an annual budget of one Kazakh rural school. At that time Kazakhstan was not integrated into the world community. Only few our compatriots could afford to study abroad. Understanding that the qualitative growth of market economy needs high - skilled specialists, who know foreign languages, modern management, foreign culture, different from the Soviet approaches came later. N.Nazarbayev?s decision can be compared with the move of our capital to Astana, when even the President?s minion did not believe that such decision could have been realized. But today we witness the accomplished fact, which assures us how the President?s strategic decision on foundation of a new capital was right and far-sighted. During 15 years Kazakhstan has received 1.5 thousand graduates and over 2.5 thousand scholarship holders are studying abroad now. In total it is four thousand people plus about 30 thousand young Kazakhstanis who themselves pay for studying abroad. I am sure that this youth will be a real support for the President, received the best knowledge, and is constructively and patriotically intended. Idea of the Head of the State, expressed at the forum of ?Bolashak? scholarship holders last year, on formation of a group of young professionals for their preparation as a potential for the political office. According to the President, ?Bolashak? graduates will become the base for the future echelon of state managers. What?s your attitude towards opinions that ?Bolashak? graduates with diplomas of prestigious western universities are disconnected from the Kazakh reality, choose the civil service very unwillingly, and constitute themselves as a special caste? I would say that ?Bolashak? graduates come from our system of education; they studied excellently all years and fluently speak foreign languages. These are necessary requirements for participation in the program. They deserve right to study abroad, and the state gives them such opportunity, provided that they will use received knowledge for the benefit of their country. As a result the country gets elite range of educated young people, expect that elite doesn?t correspond to some close circle of children from rich families. As long as the main principle of the program is criterion of knowledge, independently of social status, place of residence and other conditions. I would like to note once more that the program is not elite, it finances the best of the bests according to the criterion of knowledge quality. Yes, there was such problem that many who graduated from western universities couldn?t adopt and apply their knowledge in Kazakhstan. But today this issue is not topical any more. Demand in such specialists has grown during the previous years. Companies grow, develop their working area, use modern west management. Small and medium business improves its image, passing to the world standards as well. All they need personnel with appropriate qualification that can manage projects, know market tendencies, can hold negotiations with foreign partners. If we speak about patriotism, is it subjected to the test abroad, where some graduates are offered to stay on good conditions? It may sound ironically, but study and life far away from the Motherland strengthen the best feelings towards the country. You begin to understand what patriotism itself is being abroad. And these are not simple pretentious words but a real wish to make life of my people better using received knowledge. For example, people in Germany, where I studied, relevantly treat their culture and traditions. Only there we begin to study history of Kazakh people and begin to read books in native language through this foreign system of values and begin to understand our national family values. I think that thirst for knowledge is our good feature, because from the very childhood we were taught to get a good knowledge and then become a respected member of the society. Our fellows who studied in America know what kind of patriotism American people have as they assured themselves in that. During the years of independence we had many achievements and we can be really proud of the state which we have built together. It is pleasant when people abroad recognize you, show respect and express admiration with our achievements. Even those who have been offered good working places abroad will in any case come back in a year or two. Because they will not be able to grow in foreign country as in Kazakhstan, it is evident. Every country protects its citizens and has enough own human resources. I think that one should make his career without any hurry starting from the very beginning. What a good manager can become from the man who does not even know how the lowest elements of the system live, and will he able to build out the work in a right manner, receive necessary results. I wish to exemplify a wise statement of the Head of the State that it is difficult to become the first but it is more difficult to keep achieved level. It is quite important not only to reach the level but to keep it in our dynamic and quickly changing world where is a stiff competition. It is known that the Association of ?Bolashak? Program Scholarship Holders announced about its intention to activate work involving not only Bolashak scholarship holders but that youth which adheres to the principles of the Association. As for the Association we consider ourselves not only as simple graduates of this program but the union supported by the state at the expense of the people of Kazakhstan, tax payers and at the expense of these means which were cut from these or those objects. The Association was established 7 years ago aimed at making our knowledge and experience available for other young Kazakhstan people, because any knowledge is fated to die if it is not available for other people. That is why we have united to meet with each other and read lectures. We have introduced a new norm into the charter of the union which presupposes entrance in our organization of non-Bolashak scholarship holders but who share our ideology. Our goal is not only to extend our organization but to make a qualitative breakthrough positioning ourselves as future unifying power of young hopefuls of Kazakhstan able to solve tasks of strategic scale. I am sure that we will justify confidence of the Head of the State which he expressed to us 15 years ago and of our people. Those invetsments into the education of ?Bolashak? scholarship holders will bring a huge benefit to Kazakhstan. Thank you for interview. I wish you good luck and success.