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Astana, April 27 – A recent audit in Kazakhstan has uncovered that scholarships under the prestigious 'Bolashak' program were awarded to individuals who did not meet the established requirements. The findings were announced by Tlegen Kaskin, a member of the Supreme Audit Chamber, during a government session in the Majilis.

Concerns in the Education System

Kaskin highlighted that over the past five years, funding for higher education in Kazakhstan has doubled, increasing from 246 billion to 472 billion tenge. Despite this substantial investment and a student population nearing 625,000, with over 77,000 state-funded grants allocated, the quality and transparency of the education system have not seen corresponding improvements.

"The state audit conducted showed that despite a twofold increase in higher education funding, its quality, transparency, and effectiveness have not grown accordingly. This is due to a number of systemic problems," Kaskin stated.

Controversial 'Bolashak' Program Allocations

The audit also identified significant shortcomings in the management of the 'Bolashak' educational program itself. Specifically, scholarships totaling 7.7 billion tenge were granted to 340 candidates through ministerial decisions, bypassing general selection criteria and awarded on an individual basis.

Furthermore, an additional 151 scholarships were issued beyond the allocated quotas. The audit also pointed to issues with scholarships designated for artificial intelligence studies, where only 5 out of a planned 54 scholarships were awarded, with the remaining 49 being reallocated to other fields.

This situation follows a proposal in March by Majilis deputy Magerram Magerramov to increase the amount of funds to be recovered from 'Bolashak' program alumni who fail to return to Kazakhstan after their studies.

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