Kazakhstan's Global Role Explored — Alberto Frigerio

This episode of The IR thinker explores the evolution of higher education in Kazakhstan, from the arrival of foreign universities and shifts in language policy to state support for innovation, digitalisation and the internationalisation of PhD programmes. The discussion examines the influence of Islam, the role of the Kazakh diaspora, education as a form of soft power, the state of academic freedom and the politicisation of academia, before outlining three key reforms needed for the sector’s future development.Alberto FrigerioDr Alberto Frigerio is an International Relations professor at Almaty Management University, with more than a decade of teaching experience in Kazakhstan. He is a recipient of the 2022 CEEMAN Responsible Management Educator award and is noted for consistently strong teaching evaluations.Dr Frigerio is the author of Dystopian World, Казахстан в мультивселенной 21 века: шесть дилемм для определения его будущего пути, International Cultural Heritage Conventions and the Central Asian Region: Current Framework and Future Perspectives, and a series of publications on global challenges and sustainability.Content00:00 - Introduction02:03 - Evolution of Higher Education in Kazakhstan: A Three-Phase View07:21 - Local Response to Foreign Universities in Kazakhstan09:27 - Predominant Languages of Study in Kazakhstan11:37 - Government Support for Higher Education Innovations13:32 - A Comparative Analysis: Private vs Public Universities15:16 - Bolashak Scholarship: An Overview20:21 - Global Interest in Kazakh Higher Education: A Perspective23:08 - Influence of International Students in Kazakhstan27:49 - PhD Programmes: The Influx of International Students30:04 - Religion and Education: The Islamic Influence in Kazakhstan33:00 - Challenges Encountered by International Students36:42 - Engaging with the Kazakh Diaspora: An Exploration40:21 - Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms to the Kazakh Government43:12 - Education as a Tool for Soft Power46:56 - Digitalisation Drive in Kazakhstan50:05 - Intersection of Geography, Civil Society, and Sustainability53:27 - Student Interest in International Relations55:33 - Evaluating the State of Academic Freedom57:52 - Politicisation of Academia in Kazakhstan: A Critical Insight59:29 Three Essential Educational Reforms Needed in KazakhstanFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.