Kazakhstan as a climate-vulnerable country urgently needs skilled human resources. By 2028 the country is expected to face severe water shortages. Droughts and floods will continue to threaten food and infrastructure security.
Universities must play a key role in addressing these challenges. They are tasked with preparing specialists to tackle water scarcity, soil degradation, and to support large infrastructure projects like nuclear power plants and thermal power stations. However, the country already suffers from a shortage of professionals in critical fields. For instance, 50% of grants for the “Water Resources and Water Use” program remain unclaimed due to low wages in this profession.
Another major issue lies in university curricula.
They fail to align with global trends and the country’s anticipated challenges in sustainable development. The 2025 QS World University Rankings show that even the top three Kazakhstani universities scored only 30 out of 100 points in the “Sustainable Development” category.
Table 1: Performance of Kazakhstan’s Top 3 Universities in QS World University Rankings 2025
|
University Indicator |
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University |
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University |
Satbayev University |
|
Rank in the Rating |
163 |
321 |
405 |
|
Overall Score (0-100 points) |
51 |
34,2 |
25,3 |
|
“Sustainable Development” indicator |
29,`8 |
10,5 |
3,8 |
Source: https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings
Reference: In 2024, 1 503 universities were included in the QS rankings, with over 20 from Kazakhstan. The highest rank achieved was 230th by Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. According to the now-defunct National Development Plan, at least three Kazakhstani universities were expected to enter the QS Top 200 by 2025, but this goal was not met.
QS “Sustainable Development” Metric
This metric evaluates universities across two dimensions:
1. University Sustainability: Environmental sustainability, sustainable education, and research.
2. Social Impact: Equality, knowledge sharing, education quality, employability, and life quality.
Environmental sustainability considers the university’s impact on the environment, including:
• Campus sustainability;
• Research on sustainable development;
• Integration of sustainability principles into curricula;
• Membership in climate action or sustainability groups;
• Publicly available sustainability strategies or reports;
• Student organizations promoting environmental initiatives;
• Commitments to carbon neutrality.
Social Impact
• Equality: Proportion of female students and staff, inclusivity policies, and support for persons with disabilities.
• Knowledge Sharing: Collaboration with underfunded institutions to share expertise.
• Education Impact: Research and graduate outcomes in areas relevant to social development.
• Employability: Employer reputation, graduate employment rates, and research on economic growth and job creation.
• Quality of Life: Initiatives to enhance well-being on and off campus, including research on quality-of-life improvements.
Recommendations for Universities:
• Establish social entrepreneurship labs and accelerators with dedicated funding and infrastructure;
• Launch and support projects under the global “Enactus” movement;
• Develop a digital education ecosystem for lifelong and inclusive learning;
• Diversify revenue streams by offering research and analytics services to businesses;
• Revise academic programs to address upcoming climate, economic, and social challenges. Focus areas may include water-saving technologies, circular economy, energy efficiency, and sustainable agriculture.
• Publish voluntary sustainability reports;
• Create carbon capture zones or “Graduate Alleys” with trees planted by alumni.
