Understanding the development of higher education in Soviet Kazakhstan

Abstract

 This article examines the path of higher education development in Soviet Kazakhstan
from the perspectives of higher education institutions, student enrollment, and postgraduate
study. By doing so, it is intended to contribute to a better understanding of higher education
history in the republic. Document analysis was used as a methodological tool. The results
show that higher education was an integral part of the Soviet system, served and subordinated
to it. The development and expansion of the system were determined primarily by economic
planning, industry needs, and ideological priorities. Therefore, higher education institutions
were established throughout the Soviet period and their number grew steadily. The increase
in the number of institutions was accompanied by the increase in the number of students. The
growth of the educational opportunities was possible due to the diversity of delivery modes
and the establishment of a large number of regional branches and faculties in addition to the
main campuses of institutions. As a result, all types of higher education institutions, with the
exception of medical schools, also offered correspondence or evening classes, and sometimes
both. As for postgraduate education, its expansion was comparatively slow. Moreover, the
state’s priority was technical sciences, as evidenced by the allocation of more quotas and the
high percentage of teaching staff with postgraduate degrees in those fields.