Oxford University to embrace Kazakh language program

According to Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, the University of Oxford will include the Kazakh language in its educational program under arrangements with the ministry.

The agreement was signed during a visit by the minister and presidents of the leading universities of Kazakhstan to the University of Oxford, one of the oldest universities in the U.K. During the meeting the Kazakhstani delegation became familiarized with old manuscripts that related to Kazakhstan and are kept in the Bodleian Library.

During the visit, Nurbek also presented the first edition of the Oxford Qazaq Dictionary, initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

«Language is a big value for our people. We are developing the Kazakh language with the help of not only hard copies but also digital media,» Nurbek highlighted.

He also conducted negotiations with Deputy Head of the Department of Education of the University of Oxford Maia Chankseliani. The two sides discussed three possible directions of cooperation: a program for scientific internship; consulting on Academic Centers of Excellence and consulting in the sphere of higher education.

According to open-source information, students at the University of Oxford study about 40 languages, including modern, classic, ancient and rare languages. The Kazakh language is one of a few languages recently added to the educational program of the university. The government of Kazakhstan wants to boost the percentage of people speaking the Kazakh language from 81% to 84% by popularizing it through various events and the media. It has already adopted its language policy concept for 2023–2029. Moreover, all draft laws are expected to be developed in Kazakh starting March 2024.