At the end of April, during Government Hour in the Majilis, a representative of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported a number of serious violations in the "Bolashak" program, noting significant risks in its implementation.

Data identified by the Supreme Audit Chamber were disclosed: 340 applicants who did not meet the general selection criteria were awarded scholarships totaling 7.7 billion tenge on an individual basis by decision of the ministry. Auditors also stated that another 151 scholarships were awarded beyond the approved limit. Regarding such a sought-after field as artificial intelligence, "out of 54 planned scholarships, only five were actually awarded; the remaining 49 were redistributed to other fields."

While presenting this data, member of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tlegen Kaskin noted that overall, over the past five years, expenditures on Kazakhstan's higher education system have grown from 246 to 472 billion tenge. The student population reached 625,000 people, and the volume of the state educational order exceeded 77,000 grants.

At the same time, it was indicated that "The conducted state audit showed: with a twofold increase in funding, the higher education system does not provide a comparable increase in quality, transparency, and effectiveness. This is due to a number of systemic problems."

"GRANDPA" ON AN INTERNSHIP

Majilis deputies themselves have also repeatedly expressed negative opinions about the administration of the "Bolashak" program.

The Head of State also criticized the "Bolashak" program from the podium of the Kurultai held last year. Addressing the implementation of the system of internships for scientists abroad, the President noted that, despite the launch of this practice, it is not scientists who are sent for training, but people far from science.

How could it happen that even a 78-year-old pensioner took advantage of an internship under the "Bolashak" program? What is the expediency of such an internship?

Such facts negate the very idea of training and internships for scientists abroad, turning it into something meaningless and incomprehensible. This criticism by the Head of State also gave reason to pay attention to the state of affairs in this educational system.

ABOUT THE DRAWBACKS

The "Bolashak" program turns 33 this year. It was established on November 5, 1993, five years after Kazakhstan gained Independence. At that time, the country was going through a difficult period of reforms and was in dire need of qualified personnel. Therefore, the "Bolashak" project was unique in its essence, having no analogues among the countries of the former USSR.

The departure for training of the first 187 scholarship holders in 1994 was seen as an important stage in training specialists for priority sectors of the economy. The experience and knowledge they gained were supposed to serve "for the good of the state." It is no coincidence that the project was associated with the word "future" and embodied the ambitions of a young state – to educate a new elite of intellectuals well-versed in global scientific and business trends.

However, around this historic initiative in recent years, "marks" with a minus sign keep appearing. Take the well-known scandal in 2024, when scholarship holder V.G., after studying in the United Kingdom, instead of the required five-year work obligation at home, achieved the removal of the collateral on her property from the "Bolashak" management and left back abroad, leaving a debt of almost 30 million tenge.

"Grandpas" on internships and "refuseniks" who did not wish to apply the acquired knowledge for the benefit of their homeland undoubtedly provoke a corresponding reaction in society. Added to the facts announced this year by the Supreme Audit Chamber on the issuance of scholarships worth 7.7 billion tenge to 340 applicants with violation of criteria is the figure – a total of 801 persons not meeting requirements were allowed to participate in the "Bolashak" program competition.

Moreover, the fact that officials have priority right to training and internships abroad has been outright called "academic tourism." Besides V.G.'s case, there have been reports of scholarships being received by "dead souls" and "on the sly" (71 applicants acted as guarantors for each other). And references to a "purely individual approach" are unlikely to calm public opinion.

It should be borne in mind that the state invests huge sums in this program: training one master's student costs 10-15 million tenge, while a doctoral student costs the treasury 20-25 million, with total expenditures reaching 20 billion tenge per year. At the same time, the percentage of graduates leaving back abroad remains high (about two percent), and many "Bolashak alumni" experience difficulties finding employment at home.

Corruption scandals among high-ranking officials who studied under "Bolashak" do not add to the program's credibility. Take, for example, the same ex-minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev. As it became known, "in 2001, he received a Master of Business Administration degree under the 'Bolashak' program at George Washington University in the USA and became the first graduate of the program to hold such a high government position. In 2018, Bishimbayev was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property and sentenced to ten years in prison. Later, in 2024, he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of Saltanat Nukenova."

Among the well-known "Bolashak alumni" is also former Vice-Minister of Health Olzhas Abishev. He was later convicted for abuse of official powers during the implementation of an IT project in the healthcare system. The court sentenced him to four years of restricted freedom and also ordered the recovery of 1.3 billion tenge from him and former Minister of Health Yelzhan Birtanov in favor of the state.

Former Vice-Minister of Education and Science Elmira Sukhanberdiyeva became a recipient of a "Bolashak" scholarship and completed a scientific internship in California, at Berkeley. In 2019, Sukhanberdiyeva was found guilty of abuse of official powers and illegal participation in entrepreneurial activities. The court fined her and disqualified her for life from holding positions in the civil service.

RETURNING THE ORIGINAL MEANING

Of course, despite such negative facts, an objective assessment of the program requires a balanced approach to its outcomes. "Bolashak" has its advantages. The main one is that over the past years, 12,731 people have received diplomas. These are thousands of specialists with elite educations, graduates of top world-class universities – University of Illinois, Columbia University, University of Warwick, and others.

It is also encouraging that the identified shortcomings, like a "litmus test," become a reason for improving the program. For instance, after accusations of "academic tourism," a reform followed: two-stage selection, stricter language requirements, and reduced quotas. From 2025, primary screening based on tests and motivational letters were introduced.

Perhaps such and other measures will help bridge the gap between the original idea of training personnel for the country and current practice, eliminating serious drawbacks, and the "Bolashak" program will play a key role in educating a generation of managers and intellectuals. This requires painstaking work on the mistakes and accumulated gaps in the system, where for a long time, funding of the educational process prevailed over strict control of the final result.

A systemic reform is needed, which will allow the program to regain its original meaning, transitioning to transparent selection mechanisms that eliminate the corruption component, and revising the economic model for return on investment. Only then will "Bolashak" truly cease to be a program of "academic tourism" for the select few and regain its status as the cradle of the nation's future.

By Akmaral ABDULLOVA