On February 11, 1992, an official start was made for the diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Germany. Today it has become one of the important key partners of Kazakhstan.

In his Address "The Third Modernization of Kazakhstan: Global Competitiveness", President Nursultan Nazarbayev said: "Our task is to make education the centerpiece of a new model of economic growth."

Cooperation between the two countries in the field of education has long-term prospects and facilitates the integration of the national system in the world educational space. It is necessary to continue to work together on existing projects, as well as to develop further partnerships in the research area.

To this end, a conference was held in Astana dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and Kazakhstan.

The conference "Together we create the future: education in Germany and Kazakhstan", organized by the Embassy of Germany and the Association of Public Associations of Germans of Kazakhstan "Revival", took place in the National Academic Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At the opening ceremony of the event, Roman Vasilenko, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, stressed that former Kazakhstanis, Germans, by origin living in Germany and citizens of Kazakhstan, also Germans, by origin are a living bridge between our countries.

The meeting covered all aspects of bilateral cooperation in the field of education, as well as its potential and prospects.

As Deputy Chairman of Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan Darkhan Mynbay noted, today in Kazakhstan there are 182 thousand ethnic Germans.

"I am convinced that today's meeting will be another step towards strengthening peace and harmony between our countries. Over 25 years of cooperation, more than 30 documents have been signed in the sphere of economy, education, culture and health. The potential for the development of bilateral cooperation is huge," D. Mynbay said.

During the conference in his welcoming speech, German Ambassador to Kazakhstan Rolf Mafael stressed that recently Kazakhstan and Germany have been working very hard to develop dual education. There is a project of the German society for international cooperation and the German side very much hopes that these projects will continue to develop.

According to the executive secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurseyit Baizhanov, today all prerequisites for cooperation between our countries have been created. The regulatory and legal framework within which we carry out our activities meets modern requirements. Kazakhstan is modernizing educational activities in the context of European requirements. Expansion of cooperation with Germany, cooperation of schools, cooperation in the field of technical, professional, higher education, joint training of personnel is a priority task between our countries.

The "Business Relations" program, which has been in operation since 2004, makes it possible not only to gain certain knowledge, but also to create business jointly with German partners. Realization of tasks in the Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy and in the National Plan "100 concrete steps", including training of highly qualified professionals for priority economic growth is a priority for Kazakhstan.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan provides all assistance in the implementation of the projects of the German side, within the framework of which there is an in-depth study of the German language.

So, since 2000 the international project for the German language diploma of the 2-nd stage has been implemented, in which eight specialized schools with in-depth study of the German language participate. Since 2008, the project "School Partners of the Future" has started. In 1999, the Kazakh-German University (Almaty) was founded.

During the work of the DAAD Information Center, which began operating in 1994, more than 3,700 Kazakhstani students and scientists were trained and conducted research in Germany. The Center provides information on all matters of education and research in Germany and supports intensive cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of higher education.

In the universities of Kazakhstan, work is being done to promote the German language. Today German is taught on the basis of 53 universities, the total contingent of students in the specialty "Foreign Language" is 14 590 people. Annually from the republican budget grants are allocated for the training of personnel with higher and postgraduate education, where one of the languages ​​is German.

From 2014 to 2016, 138 students underwent academic mobility in universities in Germany, 94 scientists were included for lecturing at universities in Kazakhstan.

It is worth noting, on March 15 of this year, the first meeting of the working group for the popularization of the German language in Kazakhstan was held in the MES of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The group will meet several times and, as a result, will develop a document that will contribute to the further development of the German language in our country.

Within the framework of four panel sessions, discussions took place on topics such as cooperation in higher education, school policies, vocational education, and cultural and educational policies.

Roman Vasilenko also noted that Kazakhstan welcomes and highly appreciates the planned participation of Germany in the international exhibition EXPO-2017 in Astana.

"It is planned that the national day of Germany will be held on July 12 and Mr. Ambassador promises interesting surprises, so I think it will be interesting for everyone to visit the German pavilion," R. Vasilenko said.

The German pavilion with an area of ​​1,700 square meters will be one of the biggest at the exhibition. The focus will be on the policy of switching to alternative energy sources Made in Germany. Innovative solutions should be presented on future energy issues in the fields of solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and water energy applications. Visitors in particular will be pleased with an interactive energy show where they can take part in a laser show. The next "magnet", but already gastronomic, will be a German restaurant with typical for Germany drinks and dishes.

We recall that as of February 11, 2017 the result of the competition for the best logo, which will accompany the anniversary year, was summed up. Following the results of the competition, initiated by the German Embassy in Kazakhstan, the winner was the logo of Bakhtiyar Atymtayev.

"This symbol means a Kazakh and German eagle, he sweeps up. One wing is Kazakh, one wing is German. He symbolizes the dynamic and harmonious development of our states," commented Mr. Rolf Mafael.

By Makhabbat BOLSHINA

Translated by Raushan MAKHMETZHANOVA

Use of materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires written or oral permission from the Board of Editors or the author. Hyperlink to National Digital History portal is necessary. All rights reserved by the Law RK “On author’s rights and related rights”. To request authorization email to kaz.ehistory@gmail.com or call to (7172) 79 82 06 (ext.111).