On March 15, 2022, the Eurasian Centre for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Health Care (ECAQA) took part in a roundtable discussion titled Quality Education Is the Guarantee of a Successful Future of the Nation as part of the implementation of the instructions of the Head of the State referred to as Lessons of the Tragic January: The Unity of Society Is a Guarantee of Independence provided at the meeting of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan on January 11, 2022. Moderator was Chair of the Committee on Social and Cultural Development and Science of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Beybit Isabayev.
Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askhat Aymagambetov and Member of the Committee on Social and Cultural Development and Science of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dinar Nuketayeva delivered keynote speeches. The speakers shared information about the results of evaluation of the quality of education at all levels starting with preschool education, addressed major issues, and spoke about the prospects for further improvement in education quality management.
Director General of ECAQA Saule Sarsenbayeva presented the thematic analyses of the results of external evaluations within the framework of accreditation of educational organisations and educational programmes, the purpose of which was to identify strengths and weaknesses in the organisation of the educational process at colleges, higher education institutions and organisations for continuing education.
Thus, the most problematic areas are: passive participation of potential employers in the development of educational programmes and the lack of suggestions for their improvement; the lack of sufficient ‘flexibility’ of educational programmes and their adjustment based on the elective component to the current needs of society and the challenges of practice; the low level of preparedness of mentors in relation to the competence to transfer knowledge and skills to students; deficiency of close interaction between educational organisations and national professional associations in order to improve educational programmes; poor research component in education which in fact should form and develop students' skills in analysis, synthesis, critical thinking and decision making.
More than 10 representatives of educational organisations from various economic sectors, representatives of production facilities spoke in the debate and shared their proposals on ways to improve education.