The Bologna Process and the Kazakhstani Higher Education : Reality and Challenges

Independent Kazakh Agency for Quality Assurance in Education in Kazakhstan concludes that the education system of the country ‘has undergone dramatic changes’ after it officially joined the Bologna Process. This paper aims to review critically the current situation around the process and reveal the responses to the challenges. The theoretical review and comparative analysis of published papers on the Bologna Process in Kazakhstan and abroad identified that improvements should take place on different levels, on the system, institutional and individual levels. Moreover, there is no best practice of the Bologna Process that can be transferred to Kazakhstani reality. The authors conclude that the implementation of the principles of the BP is likely to be impossible without the synergistic effect of all compound parts: effective management, quality staff and education that are built through clear and transparent business processes. Finally, the authors propose some possible implications and recommendations for the improvement