Partnership models in Kazakhstani higher education

Internationalization is pushing universities worldwide to cooperate with their peers abroad, and these partnerships could be shaped differently. Since my work experience is connected to international partnerships, the choice of relative research topic is obvious. The assumption that a long list of agreements shows the level of internationalization of the university is rather popular in Kazakhstani higher education (HE). The issue of the ways these partnership models are functioning worldwide and within Kazakhstani HE seemed worth paying attention to.   

Partnerships are established according to various forms and models under different circumstances and conditions. de Wit and Knight (1995) have already classified different partnership models. For example, one of their models is Rudzki’s model characterized by “stages” and “modes” described in a particular order and consequence starting from the first step of contacting potential partner university then going through the formality of signing the agreement, and eventually lost interest leading to the dropout of this agreement from the list of the working ones. The next “pro-active stage” might sometimes be challenging to achieve but if it happens then a university first analyses the internal environment, priorities and interests, conducts necessary evaluation reports and then returns to stage one with more care and redefined objectives and selectivity in terms of choosing the partner (Knight and de Wit, 1995, p.22-25).

Kazakhstani partnership establishment mechanism works according to Rudzki’s model since sometimes cooperation agreements are still signed randomly and some agreements are not implemented at all. Kazakhstani universities are working on their own trying to find a better mechanism on establishing and maintaining foreign partnerships. Strangely, in spite of the state decision to join the Bologna Process in 2010 the universities did not receive any essential set of steps assisting on the ways to initiate the partnerships. These most likely led to the agreements not being implemented to their full extent.     

In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize that the above thoughts are built on the case study of one state university in Kazakhstan. Even if these challenges occur in establishing foreign partnerships they [challenges] are a good sign of development. As time flows, changes have to happen, in Kazakhstan’s case elaboration of partnerships could be imagined as evolution, and universities will soon realize that the quantity would not necessarily mean quality leading to the choice of the most appropriate partnership model.  

References

Knight, J., & De Wit, H. (1995). Strategies for internationalisation of higher education:

Historical and conceptual perspectives. Strategies for internationalisation of higher

education: A comparative study of Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States of

America, 5-32.