BUSINESS SCHOOL STRATEGY
I nscribed on the corridor walls of and propel Kazakhstan into the global academic arena. At the heart of this process of transformation has been the School of Economics and Management at Narxoz University (SEM Narxoz). To understand Narxoz University’s transformation, it is important to recognise its origins in the Soviet- era higher education system. It was first established in 1963 as the Institute of National Economy; this was a specialised institution aimed at producing experts who would manage the national economy, in line with the state’s priorities and policies. As the Soviet system dissolved and Kazakhstan transitioned to a market economy, it began to adapt to a changing landscape. Its acquisition from the government by the Kazakh investment group Verny Capital a little under 20 years ago fuelled a series of investments, with more Narxoz University is “Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world”. Attributed to Nelson Mandela, this powerful quote exemplifies the institution’s mission to break down barriers in higher education than $30 million allocated towards infrastructure, $18 million invested in the construction of a state-of- the-art student residence and $13.5 million directed towards a new building for the business school. A substantial portion of the investment also went towards recruiting international faculty and students in order to align the university with global standards and foster an era of innovation within Kazakhstan’s higher education system. A special fund called Teach for Narxoz, for example, was introduced to provide internationally recognised researchers and professors
with highly competitive three-year tenure-track contracts. SEM Narxoz currently employs seven such faculty members, with plans to increase this number annually. However, the journey of change undergone by Narxoz University extends far beyond facilities and recruitment. Instead, it amounts to the construction of a completely new educational framework that seeks to accelerate change in Kazakhstan’s higher education system while maintaining its core values. The makings of metamorphosis Kazakhstan’s population of roughly 20 million is young, with approximately 25 per cent under the age of 18. While higher education is accessible to many, high-level, internationally competitive education remains scarce. The Bolashak scholarship programme, a government initiative aimed at sending talented students abroad for higher education at top global institutions, has funded almost 13,000 individuals over the past 32 years. Even so, this represents a mere two per cent of the country’s total student population, making access to world-class education within Kazakhstan’s borders a core challenge. Historically, Narxoz University has served as a crucial educational hub, particularly in the fields of economics, accounting and management. It has also provided higher education to students from rural areas who would otherwise not have had such opportunities. In this way, the legacy of its Soviet-era model has been both an asset and a burden during the subsequent years of adaptation, offering up significant challenges for its current process of transformation into a globally competitive university. In particular, the highly centralised and inflexible aspects of the Soviet‑era system needed to be restructured to create a more open, globally connected system, complete with a degree of autonomy and individual responsibility. Indeed, just as a catalyst breaks down complex substances to form something new, SEM Narxoz’s mission has been to dismantle old, centralised systems and build a dynamic, flexible educational framework. A critical factor here has been the leadership of Dilbar Gimranova, dean of SEM Narxoz since 2020. With an academic background in chemistry and extensive experience in higher education reform and international accreditation, Gimranova has applied a unique blend of scientific and business expertise to initiate change. Drawing on structural reforms, alongside alignment with international standards and the infusion of new
Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2025 31
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