On 24 April 2026, an official meeting took place between the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sayasat Nurbek, and the Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Turkmenistan, Azat Atayev. The purpose of the talks was to determine the priority areas of bilateral interaction in the field of science and higher education, as well as to establish sustainable mechanisms of coordination between the relevant ministries of the two states.
The strategic nature of bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
The Turkmen side affirmed the strategic nature of bilateral cooperation and acknowledged the progress achieved in implementing the agreements reached at the highest level. Attention was given to issues of academic mobility of students and to support for citizens of Turkmenistan studying at Kazakhstani higher education institutions. In view of the growing number of Turkmen students in Kazakhstan, the parties recognised the need to establish effective mechanisms for the exchange of information and inter-agency coordination.
What experience in modernising higher education did Kazakhstan present to Turkmenistan?
The Kazakhstan side presented approaches to the management of educational processes, the assurance of quality in specialist training, and the forecasting of workforce requirements were demonstrated. Separate consideration was given to the alignment of educational programmes with the demands of the labour market and to the application of the Atlas of New Professions and Competencies (an analytical instrument that contains a list of in-demand and prospective professions, together with a description of the competencies required for them, and which is used in the design of educational programmes and admission plans of higher education institutions).
Priority areas of scientific and educational cooperation
The parties identified the following priority areas of cooperation:
- Academic mobility of students and academic teaching staff.
- Quality assurance in education and the improvement of evaluation procedures.
- Centralised testing and analytical support for educational policy.
- Digitalisation of higher education and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies.
- Development of direct partnerships between higher education institutions of the two states.
The activity of the National Testing Centre of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which provides informational and analytical support for managerial decision-making in the field of education, was duly noted. Following the meeting, an agreement was reached on the development of a joint working mechanism of interaction and on exploring avenues for the development of direct inter-university partnerships.
The agreements reached lay the institutional foundation for the systematic development of bilateral scientific and educational cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The agreed areas of interaction correspond to contemporary trends in the transformation of higher education systems and create the conditions for the implementation of joint scientific projects in the long term.
Subscribe to our social media channels and follow our blog to keep up to date with the latest information, as we regularly share data on new trends and updates in the field of education, science and scientometrics. Together towards new scientific achievements!
