The Congress of Teachers is held once every two years by the Conference of Education ministers’ decision of the Commonwealth of Independent States. This year it is held at NU.
The Minister of enlightenment of Kazakhstan Askhat Aimagambetov, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee Beketzhan Zhumakhanov, Senator Nariman Turegaliev, Chairman of the Board of the JSC Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools Kulash Shamshidinova, President of NU Shigeo Katsu and others spoke at the opening of the Congress.
In his welcoming speech, NU President Shigeo Katsu congratulated the authorities for their willingness over the past 30 years to engage in various ambitious educational reforms. He said that NU is a primal example of willingness to experiment and reform.
“The NU is a research-oriented University based on academic freedom and institutional autonomy. And some of the founding principles include everything, from admissions to progressions, proceeds on a merit basis, and academic integrity, which means no cheating, and no plagiarism is very high on our agenda. And as a research-oriented University, the teaching and research are integrated into our classroom from the very first year of the education process,” said NU President.
Most classes are taught in English, allowing for more efficient research work and quick access to world scientific discoveries. In addition, NU has managed to establish broad international strategic partnerships with the world’s leading universities over the past 12 years. The teaching staff consists of 60 countries’ representatives. Cooperation with Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools has created a constructive environment for learning. Noting the role of the NU Graduate School of Education in the development and modernization of the country’s education system, NU President emphasized that the Congress was taking place at a post-pandemic time when it was worth reflecting on the future of the educational system.
“International research has already shown that the pandemic has very stawnted the intellectual growth of our children and has robbed our children and students of two precious years of impersonal learning and socialization. Yet the pandemic has also accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in education,” said he.
NU President Shigeo Katsu talked about the VUCA world, which means volatile, unpredictable, with blurred boundaries, very complex and ambitious. This is the world we are living now, which should not scare teachers but rather motivate them to be flexible, adapt to new conditions, and learn new things.
Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek urged teachers to participate in the scientific internship program competition actively. Selection for the program will begin in October. New disciplines such as action research and data research methods in education and pedagogy are being introduced for future teachers in pedagogical universities. According to the Minister, NU and the NIS have created a scientific groundwork in this direction. Gulmira Kanai, a postdoctoral candidate at the NU Graduate School of Education, now rector of the Kazakh National Women’s Pedagogical University, has defended a research paper on action research.
These days, within the VII Congress of Teachers and Education Workers of the CIS Member States, master classes by the best pedagogues from the CIS countries are being held, and experience exchange platforms are being organized. In the framework of the Congress, the final stage of the II Festival of pedagogical excellence will take place. Finalists of the competition – teachers from the CIS countries, will demonstrate competitive lessons. Workshops for teachers will be held in three categories: teacher, educator and psychologist /social pedagogue.
