Goals and objectives

Goal: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Bolashak program.Main objectives:1. Analytical review of the scholarship’s legal base2. Identification of key problems and trends of the program3. Making practical recommendations for improving the program

Methodology

• Sociological method– Survey of 1338 alumni, who studied in the period

between 2005 and 2013 and 46 experts through the online service (Survey Monkey).

• Chronological method• Comparative data analysis • Content analysis of the mass media

Award dynamicsMore than 9500 scholarships have been awarded in 20 years (according to the data of the“Center for International programs» JSC as of 01.08.2013)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

2,000

1796

778

267

1311

1013

1661

520

1102

Distribution of stipends by study programs

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

40%

47%

0% 1% 2%

10%

Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Postgraduate training Clinical Residency PhD Scientific fellowship

Distribution by countries

46%

19%

11%

3%

3%

2%2%

1%1%

12%

Великобритания

США

Россия

Малайзия

Канада

Китай

Германия

Франция

Чехия

Прочие

United Kingdom

USA

Russia

Malaysia

Canada

China

Germany

Czech Republic

Other countries

France

Respondents’ Profile

Alumni Experts

мужской женский0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

96

132

300

370

129 129

42 3928

72

младше 21 года

21–24 года

25–28 года

29–32 года

33–36 лет

36 лет и старше

Female

Less than 21

21-2421-24

25-28

29-32

33-35

36 and older

8,6%

43,5%21,7%

17%

4,3%4,3%

государственные органы

образовательные учреждения

исследовательские и аналитические центры

коммерческие предприятия

неправительственные организации

международные организации

Government or-ganizations

Education organi-zations

Research centers

Commercial organi-zations

NGOs

International orga-nizations

Male

Distribution by gender

4209; 49,9%

4239; 50,1% FemaleMale

Parents’ social status

Private organizations38%

Public servants and government organizations

35%

Unemployed8%

Retired14%

No parents2%

Military1%

91% of the alumni believe that the Bolashak scholarship is an instrument of social mobility, especially for the young people from poor families and villages.

Academic progress of the alumni

25%

56%

12,5%

7%

ОтличноХорошоУдовлетворительноДругое

Good

Satisfactory

Other

Very good

Бакалавр Магистратура

PhD0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

30%20%

88%

58%65%

12%11% 15%

Отлично ХорошоУдовлетворительно

Bachelor’s Master’s

Very good Good Satisfactory

PhD

Alumni employment

92%

2,5%5,5%

Я трудоустроен/самозанятый Я безработныйДругое

EmployedUnemployedOther

*Other – maternal leave and those continuing their education

20%

21%55%

4%Государственный сектор

Национальные компании и компании с государственным участием

Частные компании

Международные и неправительственные организации

Government sec-tor

National and gov-ernment compa-nies

Private companies

International com-panies and NGOs

Salaries and the percentage of managers

21-24 25-28 29-32 33-36 36 and older

21-24

100 001- 200 000

200 001- 300 000

More than 300 000

Less than 100 000

Specialists Managers

Сontribution to the Development of Kazakhstan

More than 85% of the graduates believe that they make a significant contribution to the development of Kazakhstan.

Roughly 75% of the experts believe that the scholarship graduates contribute to the development of Kazakhstan’s economy

Justifiability and Transparency

• 97,6% of the graduates agree that the Bolashak Program corresponds to its main goal, mission, and set objectives;

• More than 97% of the graduates answered that their expectations from the study abroad were fulfilled;

• 93% of the graduates consider application and participation conditions in the Bolashak program to be fair and transparent;

• More than 92% of the graduates consider the government expenses on training scholars in the framework of the Bolashak program justified.

Justifiability and Effectiveness

• More than 52% of the respondents agree that the effectiveness of JSC “Center for International Programs” increased in the past three years;

• Roughly 70% of the respondents support the requirement оf the pledge of property;

• Roughly 80% of the respondents agree that the Bolashak graduates must speak the state language;

• More than 83% of the graduates believe that they would not have acquired the same knowledge and skills in Kazakhstan’s universities.

Experts’ OpinionsMajority of the experts positively assess the skills, abilities and capabilities of the graduates

Excellent Good

Knowledge of foreign languages 76,7% 23,3%Tolerance , ability to work with representatives of different cultures 57,1% 28,6%

New thinking, progressiveness 51,2% 39,0%

Ability for self-learning and self-development 48,8% 39,0%

Awareness of the socio-economic and cultural development of foreign countries

45,2% 45,2%

Communication skills 40,5% 50,0%

Ability to work in a team 35,7% 54,8%Responsibility and discipline 34,1% 43,9%Motivation 31,7% 41,5%

Persistence, determination, perseverance 26,8% 58,5%

Analytical skills 26,8% 53,7%

Leadership qualities 26,2% 54,8%

Ability to cope with challenging issues and stressful situations 26,2% 42,9%

Professional skills 24,4% 63,4%

High efficiency, high performance 24,4% 51,2%

Professional personnel shortage

37%

56%

7%

Да, В некоторой степени Нет Yes To some degree No

Does the Bolashak program facilitate the decrease in the professional personnel shortage in the high-demanded sectors of the country?

Demand and SelectionAbout 58% of the experts believe that the main reason for the lack of demand for the graduates is a lack of practical experience.

About 44% of the experts believe that not all of the knowledge gained by the graduates abroad could be applied in practice in Kazakhstan.

About 44% of the experts agreed that the selection process of the scholarship candidates should be made more rigorous.

About 74% of the experts believe that the Bolashak program serves as a means of social mobility for the young people from middle-income and low-income families.

Contribution to the development of organization

Да

Нет

Затрудняюсь ответить

70%

5%

25%

Yes

I find it hard to answer

No

Satisfaction with the graduates’ work

Yes85%

No5%

I find it hard to answer

10%

The Effectiveness of the Program Agree Don’t

agreeI support the requirement for academic progress to be equivalent to not less than 60%

91,3%

4,3%

I support the removal of the age limit for applicants 78,3%

17,4%

I support the allocation of quotas and lowering passing scores for rural youth, government officials, scientists and teachers

69,6%

30,4%

The requirement of the pledge of property is necessary for the retention of valuable professional personnel

69,6%

26,1%

I support the decision of the Bolashak program to discontinue funding undergraduate studies.

60,9%

30,4%

Bolashak scholars must speak the state language. 56,5%

30,4%

The working period of the scholars in Kazakhstan after completion of their studies abroad should be proportionate to their study period.

52,2%

30,4%

Strengthening international cooperation in the fields of education, culture and business

Yes91,30%

I find it hard to answer

9,7%

Conclusions

1.Overall, the results indicate that both the alumni and the experts positively assess the program

2.It should be noted that significant percentage of the alumni believe that the government expenses on the program are justified

3.Results also show that experts positively assess the efficiency of the program

4.Experts and employers positively assess the advantages of the alumni. The majority of the employers would like to have a Bolashak alumni as an employee at their organizations

ConclusionsThere are also unquantifiable, non-monetary and intangible benefits of the Bolashak program:• Social mobility for the young people;• Internationalization of the education system in Kazakhstan;• Knowledge and innovation knowledge transfer;• Professional ethics, corporate culture and “samples” of social

modernization;• Patriotism and a return to cultural roots;• Social capital;• Solution to the brain drain and a contribution to brain circulation• Unity of the alumni and consolidation of the young people around

the Bolashak alumni