Visually-Impaired Version 
Around 50 education experts gathered at Maqsut Narikbayev University to discuss common approaches to quality, trust and academic integrity. The university hosted a roundtable dedicated to the accreditation of transnational education programmes in Kazakhstan.
The event was organised in cooperation with the British Council, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the UK-based Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). The roundtable brought together representatives of the Ministry, national and international accreditation agencies, the League of Academic Integrity, and Kazakhstani universities.
MNU Chairman of the Board Talgat Narikbayev highlighted the rapid growth of transnational education in Kazakhstan.
“In this context, ensuring the quality of education and harmonising approaches to its assessment are becoming increasingly important. At MNU, educational quality has always been one of our key priorities. Our experience with international accreditation has demonstrated the value of independent external evaluation in the development of a university. This is why we attach great importance to discussing approaches to the accreditation of national educational programmes. We hope that the outcomes of this discussion will help identify concrete areas for further work in Kazakhstan,” said Talgat Narikbayev.
MNU Vice Chairman of the Board for Science, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Sergey Pen presented the university’s academic integrity standards and practices.
Participants exchanged views on existing approaches to the accreditation and quality assurance of transnational education programmes, emphasising that academic integrity is an essential component of educational quality. They also discussed opportunities to improve consistency, transparency and trust in quality assurance processes, as well as the establishment of a national working group to review approaches to programme accreditation.
“Today’s event has brought together professionals with extensive academic and administrative experience. We are discussing a wide range of important issues, and I am confident that this meeting will be productive for everyone. We look forward to hearing a variety of proposals and hope that the roundtable will provide an opportunity for a meaningful exchange of views and experience,” noted Robert Taylor, Director of the British Council in Kazakhstan.
In 2024, MNU successfully completed the International Quality Review (IQR) and received QAA Global Accreditation. Experts from the British agency highly evaluated the university’s compliance with the ten Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). As a result, MNU became the first university in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central Asia to receive this prestigious accreditation from QAA.
