Three Kazakh universities were closed by a court decision, Standard.kz reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The decision was made on the Central Asian University, Aktau Humanitarian and Technical University and Astana University. In the rating of NCE "Atamken" they occupied low positions. It is noted that most of the educational programs of these universities did not meet the requirements of employers and its were not in demand among students.

From 2019 to 2021, the number of educational programs for which the Central Asian University could participate in the ranking was rapidly declining.

"For most of the programs, the university was not ranked due to the small number of graduates. Closed universities did not work to improve quality, almost did not invest in educational programs, did not attract practitioners. The analysis shows that universities with low ratings of educational programs correlate with universities falling into the risk zone," said Gulzat Kobenova, chairwoman of the Committee for Quality Assurance in Education and Science.

70-75% of the educational programs of the three universities do not meet the quality requirements and demands of employers, the MES noted.

Lawsuits are also being held against other universities. For example, an audit showed that at the University of Peoples' Friendship named after academician Kuatbekov, the personnel in pedagogical and technical areas that the university prepares do not fully meet the requirements of employers.

"If today universities do not meet the necessary requirements, then tomorrow we will receive the same specialists, whose knowledge and qualifications will not meet the needs of employers. At the same time, we give universities time to eliminate violations, but they are in no hurry to do this, and therefore later we are already applying more stringent measures," Gulzat Kobenova said.

In July 2021, the Central Asian University, Astana University and Aktau Humanitarian and Technical University were deprived of their licenses for educational activities. They could no longer issue diplomas and admit students.