On October 3, the international forum "Altai - Asia 2024: Eurasian Educational Space - New Challenges and Best Practices" began its work in Belokurikha, bringing together leading experts – representatives of top universities in Russia and Central Asian countries. At the grand opening of the forum, on behalf of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister, welcomed the participants in a video message.
He emphasized that Altai-Asia is a significant event for the academic community, serving as a platform to discuss the competitiveness of universities and the development of an environment for generating new knowledge. The broad geography and strong composition of participants will ensure an effective and efficient exchange of experience in education and science. This is particularly crucial today, as Russia's international interactions are being restructured, and its higher education system is being modernized. Universities play a pivotal role as bridges uniting countries, fostering robust international partnerships. The experience of Altai State University in collaboration with the Greater Altai and Central Asia macroregion is especially valuable.
Yuri Abdullaev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Altai Krai, addressed the forum participants with welcoming words on behalf of Governor of Altai Krai Viktor Tomenko:
- In the context of rapid changes and new challenges, the development of human resources is crucial for equipping individuals for life and work. Best educational practices within Eurasia are essential for enhancing university competitiveness. This forum clearly demonstrates that research conducted in individual countries can contribute to global development and prosperity. The discussion of current issues of international education, presentation of the best initiatives of Russian education make facilitates the creation of a sustainable mechanism for scientific cooperation. Altai Krai is a unique territory with a rich history, where responsible and creative people are brought up, ready to contribute to both regional and national development. The organizer of the forum, Altai State University, is developing as one of the leading educational institutions in Russia, serving as a center for scientific research, where highly qualified specialists work and implement their innovative projects. At the forum’s program events, Altai State University will present its experience in forming a friendly international academic space. I am confident that the forum will serve as a fruitful platform for dialogue, cooperation and the search for creative solutions in the field of education.
Yuri Abdullaev wished the participants successful, constructive, interesting work and added on his own behalf:
- I am proud to be a graduate and now a postgraduate student of Altai State University. Today, thanks to the cooperation of scientific communities that are widely represented in the Eurasian space, we can achieve scientific and technological leadership.
The expert panel of the forum commenced with a report by Sergey Bocharov, Rector of Altai State University, titled "Educational Agenda: Sustainable Changes". The Rector highlighted that the forum’s structure was designed in response to new challenges facing universities in Russia and Central Asia. The first track focused on the transformation of the higher education system in Russin exploring the models we are adopting and underlying content. The second track addresses the development of technological entrepreneurship in universities, considering both creating conditions for developing the necessary skills in students and establishing mechanisms for commercializing the university’s innovations. In the third track, participants will share practices for training highly qualified IT specialists and discuss new opportunities that AI provides for education. Additionally, separate events will include meetings of the UNESCO Department dedicated to preserving and enhancing the cultural heritage of Eurasia, as well as a congress of the Association of Asian Universities and an expert strategic session of the REC "The Greater Altai".
Today, Altai State University is the largest university in the region and the only university in the region participating in the federal program "Priority 2030".
Sergey Bocharov says:
- Today, Altai State University, including its college and branches, enrolls over 20,000 students, with one in five being international students. However, it is not this statistic that positions Altai State University as a leading center for international cooperation in the Central Asian region. Rather, it is the university’s extensive network of partnerships and consortiums developed through the Association of Asian Universities and the successful project of the REC "The Greater Altai" that yields world-class scientific results. Leading universities from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan participate in joint projects with Altai State University. In response to contemporary challenges, the university is constantly improving its educational model. We have joined the federal project "Digital Department", resulting in the development of 20 unique programs. This year, we launched the Digital Up School of IT Excellence for exceptionally talented students in IT fields. At first, we implemented two retraining programs in collaboration with partners Dodo Brands and Estesis. And on September 1, 2024, the first cohort began studying the bachelor's degree program "software engineering" (profile "smart technologies and artificial intelligence in agribusiness") at the request of agricultural holdings. Schoolchildren with the highest average Unified State Exam scores were enrolled in the program. Furthermore, the university is an active participant in the "University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform". In December, the second accelerator for enhancing entrepreneurial competencies and creating startups for students of our and other universities will be completed.
The moderator of the expert panel was Alexander Molchanov, Director of OOO “Development of Tandem Information Systems”.
Elena Sukhanova, Director of TSU Institute of Innovations in Education, and Natalia Andreychenko, Vice-Rector for Development of the Master's Program of UrFU, shared their best practices. Araily Sarsembaeva spoke about the transformation of the university into an international educational platform through the example of the East Kazakhstan Technical University. Alexander Bedny, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Networking of the National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University made a report on the training of future personnel in the Eurasian educational space. Evgeny Lokhmatov, Director for Development and Work with VK Partners made an analysis of current programs using the RosNavyk service. And Olga Petrova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation summed up the heated discussion of experts.