НАУЧНО-ПРАКТИЧЕСКАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ «30-ЛЕТИЕ НЕЗАВИСИМОСТИ КАЗАХСТАНА: ДОСТИЖЕНИЯ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ» Askarov D.T. 1 * 1
International IT University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
*E-mail:
d.askarov@iitu.edu.kz
CURRENT CHALLENGES OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN Abstract. This thesis on challenges which higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing today in
Kazakhstan. I myself have worked at three universities and have more than 10 years of working experience
in higher education, so I hope that we together will be able to discuss the challenges which I am going to talk
about today.
Keywords: education, manager,
challenge, competences, financial information, Bolashak, science.
Introduction As a teacher of management, I would like to start with the discussion of one of the basic principles, a
principle of consistency which can be met, for example, in managerial accounting meaning: “once you decide
on an accounting method or principle to use in your business, you need to stick with and follow this method
or principle consistently throughout your accounting periods”. [1] “The main objective of the consistency
principle is to avoid any intention from management using an inconsistent approach to manipulate the financial
information to ensure their financial statements look healthy. [2]
In Human resource management this principle means: “
Whenever possible, only take a course of action if you can honestly answer that you would make the same decision for any other employee presenting the same set of circumstances. Consistency means you are not playing favorites”. [3]
We can understand this principle as a set of actions taken by a manager which are clear for everyone and
don’t have “double” standards. Now we should answer the question: “Is there a correlation between number of
years in the managerial position and implementation of the model and principles which will be understood and
shared by those for whom they are implemented?” If we look through the history of the Ministry of Education,
we may find that more than 10 different people were appointed as a Minister within 30 years of independence.
This gives us 2,3-2,5 years on average. Is it really enough not only to introduce, but also to implement a new
approach and analyze the results of the reforms? Two of the ministers held their position only for a year and
one even less.
So, challenge number one is a lack of consistency. Someone may say that this is okay to have the system of
short-term contracts with public officials, but there are also supporters who say that minimum period for the
position of this level should be 6-8 years.
If we go deeper, we may pay attention to the education profile of people who were ministers of education:
the first – doctor of technical science, the second – doctor of physics and mathematics, the third – doctor of
political science, the fourth - doctor of technical science, the fifth – candidate of pedagogical science, the
sixth – candidate of economic science, the seventh – graduated from law faculty (as the second education), the
eighth – doctor of philology, the ninth - doctor of technical science, the tenth – master of economic science,
the eleventh – faculty of chemistry, the twelfth – faculty of history and law faculty (as the second education).
This is a challenge number two – is it possible to manage the system of education without formal education
in educational management? Just imagine an opposite situation when a person with a degree in educational
management will be involved in some chemical or physical experiments, what outcomes do we expect to get?
Here we should also pay attention to the “Bolashak” program which main task was to prepare managers in
different spheres of our economy, but we may see that education still experiences lack of people with knowledge
in education management.
Challenge number three can be observed as a typical ethical dilemma in business, when the owner needs to
maximize his/her profit, but also provide goods/services of the superior quality to overcome competitors. In
the context of education we may distinguish three parties: owners of the universities (especially private ones),
teaching staff and students / parents. The primary goal of the HEI owner is profit maximization. For this he/
she/they will try to enroll as many students as possible. Sometimes owners can be so greedy that they will try
to ignore the logic and basics of microeconomics. This will lead to the deficit of rooms, inconvenience with
schedule for both teaching staff and students, etc. Another option is cost reduction. Owners may not provide
bonuses or not invest in business and infrastructure development. It is a pity that still today some HEIs in
Kazakhstan don’t have enough laptops and interactive boards. Some universities are without dormitories and
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