A message from Rector Orinbekov of Shakarim University, Dumana, regarding the start of the new academic year
Dear first-year students and students of Shakarim University,
Students from Shakarim Higher College and Shakarim High School!
Dear parents, teachers, scientists, and staff!
Tomorrow, September 1st, marks the beginning of a new school year.
For some, today marks their first day of school; for others, it's the first time they're stepping through the doors of college; for freshmen, it's the start of their college life; and for those who have been there before, it's a return to the familiar halls, now with a deeper understanding of how quickly university years pass.
However, September 1 unites us all in one simple way – the opportunity to begin a new chapter in history, and for each of us, that chapter will be unique.
Today, it is far more important to understand the time of year in which we are beginning this year, and what our response should be to the changes occurring both around us and within ourselves.
Kazakhstan has undergone significant changes in recent years. The country has established its principles for future development, modernized its government institutions, and entered a new phase. This has direct implications for the education system, as the quality of any reforms ultimately depends on the people who will implement them.
On August 28, during the opening session of the first convocation of the Kurultai, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the era our country is entering. The world is becoming more complex and unpredictable, digital technologies and artificial intelligence are rapidly developing, and the economy and labor market are changing. The Head of State emphasized that those who are able to strengthen the economy and science, and, crucially, develop human potential, will be the ones who can successfully adapt to these changes.
For educators, this approach is incredibly effective.
During the first session, the President emphasized another key point: Kazakhstan is gradually transitioning towards a development model based on science, advanced digital technologies, and artificial intelligence. Emphasis will be placed on education, healthcare, culture, and sports, creating an environment that supports talented and hardworking individuals.
Therefore, the requirements for high school, college, and university are becoming more demanding.
We need to equip this young person with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in today's competitive world. This includes teaching them how to work with new technologies, think independently, read, research, understand the history and culture of their country, respect hard work, and be disciplined.
I particularly appreciate the President's emphasis on the importance of basing our actions on reality, striving for progress, developing science, and valuing hard work. This provides clear guidance for the university's operations.
Responsibility begins the moment each of you steps through the doors of your educational institution: with how you learn, how you treat your word, how you respect others' opinions, and how you take responsibility for the decisions you make.
This is particularly evident here, in the Abai region.
Our region is currently undergoing significant transformation. New projects are being implemented, the urban and social infrastructure is being modernized, the economy is developing, and new jobs are emerging. The residents of the region are witnessing the work being done by the regional governor, Berik Wali, and his team, which is driving these changes at a rapid pace.
However, infrastructure alone does not change a region. It is the people who change it.
No new enterprise, school, laboratory, farm, or technological project can thrive without the expertise of a qualified teacher, engineer, agronomist, veterinarian, programmer, researcher, or entrepreneur.
And here, it is particularly relevant to recall the President's statement that in the new global reality, human potential is of paramount importance.
Therefore, the university cannot exist in isolation from the region. This is the fundamental principle upon which the Shakarim University is built.
We have already established a unified educational environment: Shakarim High School – Shakarim Higher College – Shakarim University.
A person can start with us as a student, obtain a vocational qualification, a higher education degree, and continue their studies through a master's and doctoral program. They can also engage in research, develop their own projects and innovations.
However, the university's transformation goes beyond just new infrastructure or educational programs. We want to open up a much wider world for you.
On the eve of the new academic year, the international geography of Shakarim University has expanded. Ahead of the start of the academic year, with the participation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, Shakarim University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Murdoch University (Australia). The implementation of specific collaborative initiatives was also discussed with the Governor of the Abai Region, Berik Uali. Following the ICESCO–FIWU International Rectors' Forum in Kazan, we are launching partnerships with The University of Lahore and Bahria University (Pakistan), as well as the Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis. These new agreements focus on artificial intelligence, engineering and digital technologies, cognitive sciences, joint research, and academic programs. For you, this is an opportunity to participate in international projects, collaborate with foreign research teams, master new technologies, and gain experience that will expand your professional horizons far beyond a single degree program.
Why does the university need partners in Australia, China, Europe, and elsewhere?
So that you have access to the same knowledge, technologies, and academic opportunities available to students at the world’s leading educational hubs. You do not need to leave your home region permanently to receive a world-class education. Global knowledge, research schools, and technologies should come here, to us, to our land. This is the essence of the changes taking place at Shakarim University today.
Dear freshmen!
Today, Shakarim University is a university with a new geography of opportunities and a different scale of ambition. We are strengthening our positions in international rankings, developing our own scientific and technological solutions, building modern laboratories, and expanding partnerships with foreign universities. Our students are developing their own digital products: the AL-SANA system, created by the university’s youth team, is a prime example of how artificial intelligence can foster academic integrity and transparency in university processes.
Our goal is to ensure that every young person who joins us today gains access to the opportunities of a modern global university while being empowered to apply that knowledge to the development of their country and the Abai region.
Do not view the university merely as a place where you spend four years attending classes, passing exams, and eventually receiving a diploma. Engage in research, pursue science, and master new languages!
Work with artificial intelligence, participate in international programs, launch startups, and challenge your professors if you have sound arguments!
Spend hours in libraries, read beyond your assigned curriculum, and connect with people from entirely different fields of study.
At the first session of the Kurultai, the President spoke specifically about strengthening the nation’s intellectual potential, emphasizing the importance of reading, historical consciousness, hard work, and self-discipline. I believe the message for students is crystal clear. While artificial intelligence offers immense opportunities, the ability to read complex texts, think independently, ask critical questions, synthesize facts, and form your own position is becoming more valuable than ever.
And do not be afraid to make mistakes. After all, the university is one of the few places in life where a mistake can become a vital part of your education.
Dear school and college students,
Your journey has already begun.
Do not think that big science, international projects, modern laboratories, and university life will only start for you later—after school or after receiving your college diploma. We are here, right beside you, and we are all interconnected within the Shakarim educational system.
We are one unified whole. Each of you can move forward, gradually expanding your knowledge and opportunities within this ecosystem of possibilities.
Starting today, you can see what the university is all about, meet our scientists and professors, participate in projects, and explore research, technology, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. And tomorrow, you can continue your education here, choose a new professional path, join a research team, or take part in an international program.
I would also like to draw your attention to another topic raised by the President at the first session of the Kurultai: the safety of children and adolescents in the digital environment.
Technology offers immense opportunities, but learning to use it consciously is becoming an essential part of education. The government is already making decisions to integrate artificial intelligence into the secondary education system while simultaneously increasing its focus on children's safety on social media.
For schools, colleges, universities, and families, this is a shared mission: to teach young people how to use technology in a way that expands their capabilities rather than controlling their time and attention.
Do not wait for the moment when someone tells you, 'Now you are ready.' Interest in a profession, in science, and in your own future does not begin with age or a diploma. It begins with the first serious question you ask yourself: 'What do I want to be able to do? What can I create? Where do I belong?'
Therefore, look beyond your current curriculum. Ask questions. Explore. Experiment. Do not be afraid to change your vision of your future profession. Learn languages, master new technologies, engage with students and scholars, and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the vast Shakarim educational system.
You have a significant advantage: the university is right here! Use it today, without putting off your future until tomorrow.
Dear professors and research scientists,
Despite all technological advancements, you remain the heart of the university.
Artificial intelligence can find information in seconds, but it cannot replace the Educator who is capable of teaching a person how to think, how to question, how to distinguish knowledge from the imitation of knowledge, and how to feel responsible for their own decisions.
Today, this is more important than it was ten or twenty years ago. However, the demands placed upon us are also changing.
The President has spoken of a new generation of people—professional, proactive, hardworking, and capable of driving real change. For a university, this applies not only to students but also to professors, researchers, and administrators.
We ourselves must learn faster, work with new technologies, revise our curricula, translate research into economic value, develop international partnerships, and create an environment where talented young people will want to study, work, and pursue science.
There is another important idea that was voiced at the Kurultai.
The Head of State spoke about national identity and our attitude toward our own history. A mature nation knows how to honor its past, learn from it, and move forward with confidence.
For the land of Abai, these words hold special significance.
We are beginning this academic year just days after the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. We know the price of this history. We have a duty to study and preserve it. At the same time, our task is to ensure that modern Semey and the Abai region are known to the world for their strong education, science, technology, culture, new enterprises, and the people who are building the future here.
We are all participants and drivers of these remarkable events.
We have a challenging and very exciting academic year ahead of us!
There will be new projects, new international partnerships, research, and technological solutions. There will also be problems. We will surely make mistakes along the way, and some things will need to be adjusted as we go.
I do not promise a perfect university. But we have already learned how to change, to listen, to acknowledge problems, to seek solutions, and to keep moving forward.
And if each of us, in this academic year, continues to strive to become more professional, more demanding of ourselves first and foremost, and more attentive to the person beside us, the university will grow stronger. And along with it, our region and our country will develop.
Happy new academic year, dear friends!
On August 28, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev spoke about the need, first and foremost, to arm ourselves with knowledge, to rely on science, and to work hard to keep pace with global progress.
I believe it is difficult to find a better parting message for the start of the academic year!
Therefore, I wish our schoolchildren and students a genuine passion for knowledge; our teachers and scientists, strong students and bold research; our parents, confidence in their children's future; and to all of us, work whose results will be of real value to people.
May the new academic year open up new opportunities, provide new knowledge, and bring a new generation of professionals into the science, education, economy, and public life of Kazakhstan.
