The Kazakhstan Junior Tennis Team reached the semi-finals of the World Junior Tennis Championship Finals U14 in their debut appearance at the tournament. The three-person team of Zangar Nurlanuly, Daniel Tazabekov, and Damir Zhalgasbai, performed exceptionally by defeating several of the world’s top teams, including Italy, Argentina and Slovenia on their way to the final 4.
Bulat Utemuratov, President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, commented on the Kazakhstan Junior Team’s performance:
Bulat Utemuratov with the Kazakhstan Junior Tennis Team
“I am delighted the team proved themselves to be real fighters, demonstrating excellent team spirit on their route to this historic achievement. Our opponents were really strong throughout the tournament, and every match demanded total concentration and commitment.
Reaching the semi-finals demonstrates the progress tennis in Kazakhstan has made, as our young players are already sharing a stage with the very best in world tennis. I once again congratulate the entire team and wish our players every success in their future matches.”
Timur Akkaziev, Head of the Kazakhstan Junior Team, joined Bulat Utemuratov in his support: “The team has a busy schedule ahead. Zangar Nurlanuly will play at the under-14 Tennis Europe tournament in Barcelona in August, while Daniel Tazabekov and Damir Zhalgasbai will play at Tennis Europe in Berlin and in Slovenia also this month. We are considering participating in a series of tournaments in the U.S. in December. These events will help our players gain experience and further strengthen their skills as they prepare to participate in the World Championship next year, where we hope they will achieve even better results.”
Kazakhstan Tennis Federation has been strongly focusing in the previous years on raising junior talent that could take the country to the next level on the international tennis arena in the future. The Federation has built 38 tennis centers and 364 courts in 17 regions of the country with the strategy to continue investing into the new generation of players.
The Federation, which marks 30 years since its inception in 2022, has been also promoting the first tennis lessons for children from 5-7 years old and runs a Tennis for Under 10 project, where children participate in tournaments divided into 3 difficulty levels. The Federation then follows the top players by keeping in touch with their trainers and helping them to develop further their skills.
A sensational performance of the Kazakhstan National under 14 boy’s team at their debut ITF World Junior Team Championships made a huge impact. For the first time the team qualified for the 16 team final and showed their quality by making it into the top four in the world beating strong teams from top tennis Argentina, Italy and Slovenia. The result demonstrated clearly that Kazakhstan has many young tennis players born and growing up playing tennis in Kazakhstan coming through that are ready to compete with the best from even the top tennis nations.
After Elena Rybakina’s victory on Wimbledon there were some articles published suggesting that the players playing successfully for Kazakhstan were not originally from Kazakhstan. They questioned what the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation (further referred to as the Federation) were doing to develop young players that can in the future represent Kazakhstan at the top professional tennis events. They wanted to know what is the structure of player development in Kazakhstan and what is the Federation doing to develop tennis there.
The press service of the KTF asked Bulat Utemuratov, the President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation to answer these and other questions.
– Mr. Bulat Utemuratov, congratulations on another success of Kazakhstan tennis: The 14 and under boys team of Zangar Nurlanuly, Daniel Tazabekov and Damir Zhalgasbay were so close to being ITF World Under 14 Team champions and lost close matches in the last two days to Germany and USA to finish in fourth place, just one place away from thebronze medals of the World Championship. A fantastic week?
– I’m glad that the guys were real fighters and played as a solid team, where every player contributed a lot to this historic achievement. The opponents in the tournament were very strong and every match required maximum concentration and dedication. Players were able to show the whole world the power of Kazakhstan tennis. This result was made possible thanks to the hard work of the players and the coaching team: Sergey Kvak team captain, Dmitriy Kostetskiy team fitness coach and Timur Akkaziev the head of the delegation, as well as the continued support and participation of their parents and coaches, without whose attention this great success would not be impossible. This achievement demonstrates a certain stage of maturity of Kazakhstan tennis, where our juniors at 14 and under and 18 and under already occupy a high place in the world tennis elite.
– The recent success of Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon has stirred up the topic related to inviting players from abroad to represent Kazakhstan. Can you finally close the chapter on it and the reasons this was done at the time?
There were several waves of players deciding to move to Kazakhstan. The first group included Yuriy Schukin, Yaroslava Shvedova, Andrey Golubev, and Mikhail Kukushkin. Without each of them our National Teams would not have been able to make a rapid breakthrough from the lower divisions of Davis Cup and Fed Cup to the world group of these competitions. They became a good example for several generations of young Kazakh players – Zarina Diyas, Timur Khabibulin, Kamila Kerimbayeva, Zhibek Kulambayeva, Denis Yevseyev, Beibit Zhukayev and other top Kazakh juniors currently competing at junior Grand Slams, on what they need to do and how hard they need to work on and off the court to be successful in the difficult work of a professional tennis player and how to defeat high level opponents from other nations.
Yuriy Schukin, ending his career as a player of the National Team, became its Davis Cup captain. Yaroslava Shvedova wrote her name in history books of international and Kazakhstan’s tennis by winning the Grand Slam doubles tournaments of Wimbledon and the US Open and by performing for Kazakhstan at the Olympic Games three times. After finishing her playing career, she also became the captain of the Women’s National team. Both Schukin and Shvedova actively pass on their experience at junior training camps to our new generation of coaches and players. There are also simple human stories: Yaroslava created her family here by meeting her husband in Nur-Sultan as did Andrey Golubev, whose wife, Meruert, is from Petropavlovsk. Both Golubev and Kukushkin are still the main players of our national team, without whose contribution the results of Kazakhstan’s tennis would not have grown to the current levels. These original players and a subsequent two «waves» of international players – Yulia Putintseva, Alexander Nedovyesov, Anna Danilina, Alexander Bublik, Elena Rybakina – all together contributed to the rapid development of our tennis. They ensured that the men’s national team six times reached the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, and following the Davis Cup format change will this year play in their third world championship finals in Glasgow, and the women’s team will this year make their debut at the BJK finals in November. There is no doubt that they created a «tennis boom» in the country and following on their examples are many young tennis players that will be the future of Kazakhstan’s national teams. The victory of Elena Rybakina only increased all these trends, further raising the interest in tennis in Kazakhstan to a phenomenal level. We see that parents and children are coming to our tennis centers all over the country in large numbers looking to start tennis. In recent years we have built 38 tennis centers and 364 new tennis courts in 17 regions of the country and we see these tennis centers very busy from morning till night and we see now that there are simply not enough courts to cope with the demands to play our great sport. So, we will definitely continue to build courts and tennis centers.
How much money is spent on international players?
– The budget of the Federation is now entirely provided by sponsors. Previously, the government partially financed up to 25% of the total budget, but in recent years this figure has decreased to 2-3%. At present due to objective reasons the government is unable to allocate substantial funds for sports and at the beginning of this year I took a decision to stop accepting funds from the government. As for the money received by our best players they have no expensive contracts and the earnings of the tennis players are made only from the prize money they get at tournaments. Certainly, all top tennis players regardless of their age have basic financial support and organizational help from the Federation with travel, visa and with other logistical and organizational support. In reality, the financial investment by the Federation in juniors is 5 times higher than the funds spent on top players. The Federation invests in a very successful 10 and under national program using smaller courts and slower balls, in a KTF targeted 14 and under program with regular national training camps for the best players, in a high performance academy and other support for the best 14 and over players playing international tennis and in a comprehensive calendar of national and international junior and entry level professional events. Regional governments help us with maintenance of tennis facilities, partially paying for the work of the younger generation of Kazakh coaches and trips of the best juniors from the regions to competitions.
– Just the next question is about Kazakhstani juniors. Without proper training of our young boys and girls the National teams cannot achieve great success.
– Yes, that’s right. To increase participation nationally the Federation works at all levels, starting with a National baby Tennis program for children 4-6 years old. At this age children get necessary initial skills and by age 6/7 can take part in their first competitions. Most attention is paid to the «Tennis U10» project, where children get the basis for their further growth using the slower balls and smaller courts. Experts of the Federation visit major tournaments among players U10, observe them, communicate with their coaches and help them to develop.
– Please tell us more about Team Kazakhstan Academy – what does it give to professional tennis in Kazakhstan? Who of the young tennis players are already showing results?
– Team Kazakhstan Academy was created in 2008. More than 180 of the most talented children, juniors and young tennis players of the country have already passed through it, including Denis Yevseyev, Dmitry Popko, Kamila Kerimbayeva, Yekaterina Dmitrichenko, Gosal Aynitdinova, Anna Danilina, Zhibek Kulambayeva, Timur Khabibulin, Dostanbek Tashbulatov, Grigoriy Lomakin and many others. Some of them have already finished professional sports and started coaching. As for the young tennis players who are playing now, I would like to mention the player ranked 75 in the ITF world junior ranking and the participant of two junior Grand Slams in 2022, Maxim Batyutenko, and also Islam Orynbasar, Yerassil Erdilda, Arslanbek Aitkulov, Vitaliy Zatsepin, Danir Kaldybekov and of course Damir Zhalgasbay who was part of the successful 14 and under team and who has been training at the academy in Nur-Sultan since December 2021. As for girls they include the 66th ranked player in the ITF world junior ranking and the participant of three junior Grand Slams in 2022, Aruzhan Sagandikova, a recent debutant of the singles at junior Wimbledon, 2022, Sandugash Kenzhibayeva (ranked 89th in the ITF world junior rankings) and Zhanel Rustemova who played in the doubles at Wimbledon and who is currently ranked 130 in the ITF junior rankings and many others that are having success on the ITF junior circuits.
– Last year Kazakhstan’s juniors won a record 37 ITF Juniors singles and doubles tournaments and became finalists in 44 more tournaments. Our tennis players won 19 tournaments and made it to the final 15 times in the Tennis Europe tournaments U14.
– I would like to emphasize that a big part of the success of these players belongs to the private coaches and to the people managing player development at the KTF who are working hard every day to improve the level of tennis of these players. Results of 13-year-old Zangar Nurlanuly who won five Tennis Europe singles tournaments in the past two years are impressive. Now he is ranked number 6 in the Tennis Europe U14 ranking. Also, in the top 40 ranking of Tennis Europe are Damir Zhalgasbay and Daniel Tazabekov. We are very pleased with the success of our juniors under 12 and under 14 who are playing Tennis Europe tournaments on a regular basis and also those having success on the ITF 18 and under circuit. Among them: Inkar Dusebay, Zara Darken, Amir Omarkhanov, Yerassyl Bakhtiyar, Polina Sleptsova, Yerasyl Erdilda and many other young, talented athletes who are representing Kazakhstan so well. This year, 2022 is a jubilee year for the Kazakhstan tennis and it is also the year that the KTF celebrates its 30th anniversary. There is little doubt that our team at KTF has laid a strong foundation for tennis development but it is one which requires further active work of everyone, KTF, the branches, the private coaches, the players and their parents, to bring up future champions and to strengthen even further the current tradition of success of Kazakhstan tennis.
Kazakhstani juniors continue to make history at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, the world championship among players under 14, which is taking place these days in the Czech city of Prostejov. In the final third match of the group stage, the Kazakhs sensationally defeated the reigning world champions – the Italian team, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation reports.
The first to enter the court was the hero of yesterday’s playing day – Daniel Tazabekov, who went on to compete with Salvatore Tartaglione. Daniel won the first set “at zero”. A struggle ensued in the second game, but the Kazakhstani managed to make a break in the fifth game and bring the match to victory – 6:0, 6:3.
A real thriller was staged by Zangar Nurlanuly and Antonio Marigliano. The first set was in favour of the Italian – 6:4, in the second game Marigliano led 3:1, but the Kazakhstani not only equalized the score, but also snatched the victory – 6:4. In the decisive third set, the game went like a swing: opponents took games on the other’s serves. The turning point came in the eighth game. On his second attempt, Zangar took the opponent’s serve and took the lead with a score of 5:3, and in the next game he put an end to both the set and the match – 4:6, 6:4, 6:3. The national team of Kazakhstan for the first time in its history reached the quarterfinals of the youth world championship.
Immediately after the game, the team got congratulations from Bulat Utemuratov, President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, via video link. He noted a brilliant result and wished the guys good luck in the playoffs.
Narxoz University has been accredited by FIBAA – the leading international agency for the quality and expertise of higher education, and its diplomas are now recognised by universities and employers in Europe.
Narxoz University President Miras Daulenov told why this is beneficial for students and graduates
Miras Mukhtarovich, tell us why Narxoz applied for FIBAA accreditation?
– Education and science have long gone beyond the borders of one country. It is impossible to develop education and conduct research in an isolated system. After all, many university graduates go abroad to continue their studies, and there are those who go to Europe looking for a job.
Assessment of the compliance of universities with European standards is carried out by accreditation bodies included in the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) and other recognised organisations. In addition to being a member of EQAR, FIBAA is also a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).
FIBAA accreditation is the recognition of Narxoz University diplomas by universities and employers in Europe. However, FIBAA accreditation is also recognised in the US and China.
How difficult is the process of accreditation?
– Narxoz applied for two types of accreditation at once: institutional and programme ones. Usually, universities first undergo programme accreditation and only then apply for institutional accreditation. From the very beginning, we were convinced that improvement of the quality of educational programmes is impossible without the institutional development of the university. Unlike programme accreditation, institutional accreditation evaluates the university’s strategy, financial position, quality assurance system, and transparency of the university’s procedures. As FIBAA itself states, institutional accreditation means a “comprehensive assessment” of a university. From my own experience, I can say that in practice it is much more difficult to pass institutional accreditation than programme accreditation. This is probably why only a few universities applied for FIBAA institutional accreditation, and not many received it.
Narxoz has received unconditional FIBAA institutional accreditation – this is the highest rating that universities in Europe can receive!
FIBAA has also accredited our programmes, which include Accounting and Audit (BA, MA, PhD), Management (BA), Marketing (BA), Applied Finance (MA) and Law (BA).
The complexity of FIBAA accreditation is also that it is the first international agency in Europe created by employers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Employers evaluate universities in terms of the quality of training of graduates. To this end, the FIBAA commission members included leading European employers. In general, Narxoz was evaluated by independent experts selected by FIBAA according to a strict system of subject criteria.
The accreditation procedure itself began last summer. After that, we carried out a deep analysis of our academic and corporate processes with their adjustment, revised the content of our programmes, and adopted changes to the strategy. In this matter, all the governing bodies worked harmoniously. The academic council reviewed programme issues, the management board dealt with operational tasks and budget execution, and the board of directors adopted changes to the strategy.
All this led to the preparation of reports that were sent to FIBAA, and after that, a series of interviews of FIBAA experts with our employees, students, alumni and employers took place.
Unlike other accreditations, FIBAA is an evidence-based accreditation. Therefore, we had to constantly prove everything that we stated in the reports, in the strategy. As you know, one of the main features of the German character is “order”, in German – Ordnung. Therefore, during the interview, FIBAA experts double-checked everything that we showed in the reports.
Not so long ago, Narxoz opened the doors of its new campus. Has the infrastructure of the university been assessed by FIBAA experts?
– Of course. Comfort in learning has become one of the standards for the quality of education. Our new campus has a library that meets international standards: it is an open access library that uses the classification of the Library of Congress. The library is subscribed to key international full-text databases and, most importantly, works 24/7.
On the new campus, students also have access to 112 classrooms equipped with modern educational and multimedia equipment, 26 IT laboratories, an English court-style courtroom, open spaces where students can prepare for classes or spend their free time. Open-space working areas are available for lecturers.
Narxoz received high marks in Europe. What is the main message of this event for our society?
– The main message is that European level education is now available in Kazakhstan. Previously, to get an education of European quality, it was necessary to travel abroad, but now education that meets European standards can be obtained at Narxoz.
From this year, we have also started issuing European Diploma Supplements to all graduates. Obtaining FIBAA accreditation for the Kazakhstani and European labor market means only one thing – the high quality of graduates’ knowledge!
The constant development of technology leads to changes in the expectations of employers in the labor market. How does Narxoz adapt to new trends?
– Before launching an educational programme, we evaluate how capable it is of producing specialists who will be in demand in the labor market. Unless a programme is agreed with employers, it simply will not be launched.
We also offer students Minor programmes, where students can acquire specializations in conjunction with their main programme. The portfolio of Narxoz also includes dual programmes that we opened with The Ritz-Carlton Astana, Rixos Borovoe, EY. This allows our students to be trained at the employer’s.
Narxoz is the only university in the country that issues competency cards to its graduates, which show the level of “soft skills”, in addition to diplomas of its own type.
This year, we launched a graduate upgrading programme, regardless of the year of graduation, which gives students a lifetime guarantee for the quality of education that Narxoz provides.
The most important thing here is that we teach students the ability to learn. Knowledge becomes obsolete, but the ability to find and use information is something that will always come in handy in any field.
Having received FIBAA accreditation, can you say that Narxoz achieved its goal?
– Our goal is to achieve full international recognition of Narxoz by 2025. In this respect, international accreditations are like Michelin stars for a good restaurant, giving it recognition. This year we will apply for FIBAA accreditation for new programmes, for EFMD accreditation. The more “Michelin stars” a university has, the more recognised and prestigious its education becomes.
The Jas Leader Akademiiasy Program was launched by Bulat Utemuratov Foundation in 2021 in 50 schools of the Turkestan Region and the city of Shymkent. Approximately 12.5 thousand students of 5-11 grades studied critical thinking, teamwork, public speaking, and argumentative expression throughout the school year. 450 students, who demonstrated high activity and motivation, became participants of the first Jas Leader Forum in Almaty, which was held in two streams and ended on July 17.
While greeting the forum participants, Minister of Education Askhat Aimagambetov noted, “The Jas Leader Akademiiasy Program has given you the tools to develop the skills that are in demand today, to unlock your creative and leadership potential. Now the using of gained knowledge depends on you. We are confident that you will make a great contribution to the establishment of the New Kazakhstan!”
According to student of 11-th grade at School No. 14 in Turkestan, Aiaru Bakytzhankyzy, the leadership program helped her overcome the fear of public speaking: “I’d been attending all the Jas Leader Akademiiasy electives since September at my school. During this time I stopped being afraid to speak and express my opinion, because I have acquired the knowledge of how to prepare properly for the performance. But most importantly, I learned to listen to others, to interact with them. By respecting each other, we find solutions together.”
The Jas Leader Akademiiasy Program solves one of the most important tasks – providing access to up-to-date knowledge in the Kazakh language.
According to Marat Aitmagambetov, Director of Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, a lot of work had been done together with experts to collect and adapt the best foreign practices: “This is the first time we’ve brought international best practices together into one program to be conducted in the native language at schools. When I met the participants of the Forum, I saw their enthusiastic eyes and heard about their successes and victories from them. So we are on the right track and will continue to develop projects aimed at the younger generation of Kazakhstanis.”
Bulat Utemuratov Foundation plans to expand the Program in the Zhambyl and Kyzylorda Regions in the new academic year. Teacher training will begin this month at the 50 selected schools. During the week-long training teachers will be introduced to the Jas Leader Akademiiasy Program and trained in modern educational approaches.
Kazakhstanis achieve success in the Tennis Europe and ITF Juniors tournaments.
Yet another playing week at the Tennis Europe and ITF Juniors tournaments turned out to be successful for our young tennis players, the press service of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation reports.
In France, at the La Balle Mimosa Loire-Atlantique tournament of the TE series of the first category among players under 14 years old, Kazakhstanis became champions in doubles among boys and girls. Ariana Gogulina and Satima Toregen defeated the third seeded pair of the competition Sofya Khetlerova (Czech Republic) / Sofya Krivoruchka (Ukraine) – 6:3, 7:6 (7:0). Damir Zhalgasbay in a duet with Daniel Tazabekov won a strong-willed victory over Japanese Ren Matsuruma / Rio Tabata with a score of 6:1, 3:6, 10:6.
Another Kazakhstani Ansar Nietkaliyev also became the winner of the doubles tournament. At the competition of the TE series among players under 12 years of the second category in Gdansk (Poland), Ansar, in a duet with American Camelot Carnelo, defeated the local tennis players – Voigt brothers – with a score of 6:2, 2:0 (refusal).
In Georgia, at the tournament of the ITF Juniors series among players under 18, Inkar Dyusebay won another trophy in doubles. In a duet with British Gabby Paskaus, she defeated Ulyana Romanova (Kazakhstan) / Diana Khaidarshina (Russia) – 6:3, 6:4. In singles, Inkar reached the semi-finals.
President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation Bulat Utemuratov spoke about the formula of Elena Rybakina’s success at Wimbledon.
– Bulat Zhamitovich, did Elena Rybakina’s excellent performance come as a surprise to you at Wimbledon?
– I am very happy with Elena’s success! She was able to show her bright potential and the highest (best) level of playing in the confrontation with very strong opponents. But it didn’t come as a surprise. Rybakina has been steadily moving towards her best matches and success for a long time: in 2018 she was at the bottom of the second hundred in the world ranking, in 2019 she was already among the top forty, she closed 2020 in the 19th place, in 2021 became the 14th racket of the planet, and this year she was on the 12th line. Such development and movement upward lead sooner or later to legitimate big victories.
– What can you say about Elena’s performance in the final?
– Lena played amazingly, turned the match around, imposed a high pace on her opponent and implemented the game plan. Jabeur fought to the end, and there was a very important game in the third set with the score 3:2, 0:40 on Lena’s serve, where Lena showed real fighting qualities, high concentration and did not allow her opponent to return to the match.
– After the semi-finals, Rybakina emphasised that she was grateful to all the fans for their support – she feels it at every turn. But her special thanks were to you – for coming to London and personally supporting her. Was this a spontaneous decision of yours, or do you always plan to fly and support our players if necessary?
– I always try to watch matches of both our adult players and juniors. Both team and individual performances. Given the large number of matches a year, it’s not always possible to watch everything personally and somewhere I track the results by score, discuss with personal coaches, but at large tournaments, such as Masters and Grand Slams, I am caught up to the maximum, I take great satisfaction in personal communication with players, attendance at training sessions, discussion of issues that concern them. In case of success, I try to come and personally support. When Yaroslava Shvedova, Yulia Putintseva and our other players played important matches, I was there. It was on this Centre Court of Wimbledon that the anthem of Kazakhstan was played and the flag of the country was raised when Yaroslava and Vanya King won the GS in pairs. Last year I was at the finals of the men’s doubles tournament “Roland Garros”, where our Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev performed. This time too, immediately after the quarterfinals where Elena played, I decided to personally support her. It’s a special feeling to be on the Centre Court at Wimbledon in the players’ box, to be able to actively cheer on and encourage the player, which is usually not allowed in the Presidential or Royal boxes. Emotions are simply indescribable.
– What became the key to Rybakina’s successful game at Wimbledon in terms of tennis?
– Elena has been playing great during these two weeks: a powerful serve, a right hand, a stable left hand and moving around the court. Of course, there was great excitement and psychological pressure that she was able to overcome. It is very good that Lena has established a close relationship with the public, her excellent knowledge of English, her activity at press conferences and interviews greatly contribute to her popularity and support from fans.
– But Wimbledon grass court is very specific. Many, even the great players of the past and present, have never been able to achieve anything here in their entire careers.
– Elena is an all-around player. She showed her best results at the Grand Slam tournaments and at the Olympics in 2021 on completely different surfaces: on clay in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, on grass here at Wimbledon and reaching the match for the bronze medal in Olympic Tokyo on hard. The oldest and most prestigious tournament in the world would not be so special if everything was simple – Elena also had no ordinary matches now, despite the fact that she ended them mainly in two games. At the start, a difficult victory over American Coco Vandeweghe 7:6, 7:5. Then difficult games with Canadian Bianca Andreescu – 6:4, 7:6, Chinese Zheng Qinwen – 7:6, 7:5, Croatian Petra Martic 7:5, 6:3. Despite the fact that the quarterfinal against the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic turned out to be three sets, it showed that Elena could fight for the title, and the semifinal with Romanian Simona Halep confirmed this.
– The successful performance of Rybakina attracted the attention of absolutely the entire country. Even the President of the Republic, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, congratulated her on her victory at Wimbledon.
– The head of our state is a person who understands and loves sports, who unfailingly follows the main events in it. He not only understands tennis, but also plays both court tennis and table tennis. You may have seen that recently Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich played table tennis with Turkish President Erdogan. The President of Kazakhstan knows perfectly well that behind the success of every athlete lies a lot of hard work and years of life. Of course, both Elena and the entire tennis community of Kazakhstan were very pleased that the head of the country did not pass by and noted the success of our tennis player, congratulating her on her victory.
– As the President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, what do you feel now after the success of Rybakina?
– This is a clear example of how the years of hard work of an athlete, her team, the support of her parents converted into success on the court. Endless flights between tournaments, sleepless nights, many hours of training, hardships in everyday life of a tennis player have paid off. Lena’s strength is also her high intellectual level, hard work and the presence of a strong team around her, including her tennis, physical training and physio coaches, who do everything necessary to bring her into the maximum athletic condition. The Federation created the basic conditions, but behind the victories lies the daily personal work of Lena and her team. It is all this that I have listed that eventually raises the flag of our country at the most prestigious world competitions.
– But Rybakina even wanted to end her career at one time, didn’t she?
– Yes, there was such a period on Elena’s tennis path at the age of 18. But we saw her talent straight off and are very glad that we were able to support her at the right moment, when she really stood on the verge of leaving big-time sports. On our part, the right decision was made – Elena managed to reveal her true champion potential. The support rendered by our Federation at the most important turning point in her sports and human life turned out to be effective, and we are glad that we were able to give her the opportunity to fulfill her potential. With the same systematic career development, Elena has many more bright victories ahead.
The Green Schools Project, within the framework of which the year-round greenhouses will be built in 20 secondary schools, has been presented in the capital city. The first greenhouse was presented today to the Nur-Sultan city Akimat. The Project being implemented by Bulat Utemuratov Foundation is aimed to develop eco-education and careful attitude toward nature. It has successfully proven itself in Almaty schools, where the project participants harvested a total of 1.26 tons over the last school year. The capital city schoolchildren will join the initiative this school year.
Construction of the year-round greenhouses under the Project has been already started in 20 schools of Nur-Sultan. All greenhouses will be made of a strong galvanized steel frame and covered with cellular polycarbonate. An automatic drip irrigation system will be installed to ensure the required level of humidity. The infrared heaters are installed to maintain heat, and in winter, the energy-saving water heating system, working on the principle of the home batteries and installed along the garden-beds, will also turn on. Heating will be turned on and off automatically by the thermostatic controller and temperature sensors.
“This is a very important joint ecological and social project for us, that helps to educate the future generation to be hardworking and environmentally educated. On behalf of the Mayor’s Office of the capital, we express our gratitude to Bulat Utemuratov Foundation and all those involved in the construction of 20 greenhouses in the capital’s schools,” said Eset Baiken, Deputy akim of Nur-Sultan.
“The Green Schools project is a year-round project. I am sure that it will have a great influence on understanding environmental problems and fostering diligence. Every student of the school will see for himself how the plant grows, how to take care of it. And these are useful skills for the future,” said Gulmira Karimova, Chairman of the Committee of Pre-School and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Green Schools Project in the capital city is the second similar project in the country, earlier Almaty schoolchildren could estimate the advantages of the school greenhouses. In 16 schools 2-3 harvests were gathered for a total weight of 1.26 tons. The most popular crops were the cucumbers, there were 425 kg of the cucumbers, 255 kg of tomatoes, 113 kg of sweet pepper and 166 kg of fresh herbs gathered. The pupils also grow strawberry, broccoli and beets, which go straight from the garden-bed to the school canteen and then to the children’s table. Understanding that delicious fresh salads for lunch are the result of their own work motivates the schoolchildren even more not to miss the classes in the greenhouse.
“This is one of my favorite projects, we have built 16 greenhouses in Almaty and schoolchildren have harvested more than a ton of vegetables over the past year. One of the most important goals of this project is the introduction to work. As a medic, it is very important to me that the Green Schools project is related to health. After all, health is a healthy diet and it depends on how much we eat vegetables and fruits,” Almaz Sharman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, shared.
Besides construction of the greenhouses, Bulat Utemuratov Foundation and invited experts have developed the guidance manuals for the schoolchildren and teachers. Experienced agronomists, who have become the greenhouse coordinators, control compliance with the recommendations.
The Green School Project is not limited to the classes in the greenhouse. For example, additional master classes were organized for the schoolchildren on waste sorting and recycling, and a competition was launched among the schools to collect wastepaper in Almaty. Through the joint efforts of the teachers, schoolchildren and their parents, about 14 tons of wastepaper were collected and sent for recycling. Similar events will be held in the capital city schools to encourage teenagers to adopt environmentally friendly lifestyle and develop their responsibility and decision-making skills.
On June 10, Narxoz University presented its reconstructed main building in Zhandosov Street in Almaty.
Reconstruction of the building was carried out as part of the strategic plan for development of the University.
“For more than 50 years, over 140 thousand students have graduated from the University. University graduates work in leading companies not only in the country, but throughout the world, hold high positions in public service and in commercial structures. I experience the most pleasant feelings attending the opening of the renovated campus. As the akim, I am very pleased that such new projects, benchmarks appear. With all my heart I wish you success, new achievements and new students!” – said Erbolat Dosayev, Akim (mayor) of the city.
According to the strategy until 2025, creation of comfortable conditions to build an atmosphere of knowledge is one of the important stages in the university transformation.
The University building was erected in 1978 and has undergone a large-scale reconstruction for the first time ever since.
In the year when the construction of the building began, a chestnut tree was planted in its yard. The tree was preserved during the reconstruction, as it has long become a symbol of the University.
“The chestnut is depicted on the emblems of Narxoz, and it serves as a sign of our commitment to the principles of sustainable development,” the University President emphasises.
Reconstruction of the main academic building with a total area of 30,000 m2 was completed in a record 11 months, and it meets all international standards. This was achieved thanks to the participation of the design team that built the Ritz Carlton Astana and other facilities in Kazakhstan, distinguished by elegance, comfort and uniqueness.
“We have been systematically working on the transformation of the University since 2007. The opening of a new campus has become the next stage in this process. In addition to qualitative changes in the academic part, updating the educational programme and rebooting the University management process, we have carried out large-scale work to create a comfortable academic building for students. Thanks to creative architectural solutions, we managed to turn a gray, outdated building into a modern space filled with natural light. The reconstruction of the campus reflects our principled approach to the University’s work – Narxoz remains a non-profit organisation, all free funds from its activities are invested in development,” noted the General Director of the Verny Capital Group of Companies, Erlan Ospanov.
The new campus is equipped with modern laboratories, a 24-hour library, as well as classrooms with a technical base and ergonomic, comfortable educational furniture.
The concept of the library in the new building is in line with the concept of the library at the University of Toledo in Spain.
Bionic aesthetics in the campus design is in the style of Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish-Swiss architect. A similar style was used in the German pavilion at the Dubai EXPO, and it was recognized as the best at the exhibition. “When we decided to choose this style, we did not yet know that the German pavilion would win,” said Miras Daulenov.
The space promises to become a centre of attraction for talented youth, since all the necessary conditions for study and creativity have been provided here.
“Most recently, Narxoz University entered the list of the prestigious Times Higher Education Impact Ranking of world universities and confirmed its status as one of the leaders in the development of scientific knowledge in Kazakhstan. We managed to modernize the University, preserving and multiplying all the best that we have. We adhered to the same philosophy in the matter of the reconstruction of the main campus building: we managed to preserve the iconic mosaic and restore the original appearance of the building entrance group, thereby paying tribute to that time and the legacy of the educational institution,” said Narxoz University President Miras Daulenov.
The main feature of the renovated building is the focus on sustainable development. During the construction, modern environmentally friendly technologies, materials and equipment were used.
“This allowed us to significantly reduce emissions of harmful substances throughout the campus: carbon monoxide emissions were reduced by 78%, and pollutant emissions – by 74%,” said Miras Daulenov.
Thanks to the introduction of energy-saving lighting devices, energy savings will amount to about 120,000 kilovolts annually.
More than 30 thousand trees and shrubs have been planted on the University territory. Interestingly, here you can find almost all types of plants that grow in the Botanical Garden of Almaty, with the exception of a few rare species.
In total, the new campus has more than 26 IT labs, 112 classrooms and 115 open space work areas. There is even a courtroom.
For foreign students, a separate office is provided – the welcome centre.
“We are proud that the new campus truly serves as a standard of comfort in learning and education,” said the President of Narxoz.
Narxoz has a rich history that started in 1963. It has already won the status of a forge of highly qualified cadre, and its graduates are part of the political and business elite of the country. However, the University does not get tired of updating and creating a modern, transparent environment for its students.
Narxoz
Kazakhstani University that provides training in the field of economics, law, business, marketing, finance, hospitality, tourism, public administration and digital technologies, located in the city of Almaty. Today, the University includes 5 schools and 4 research centres, including the Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Kazakhstan. Narxoz is a member of the European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI), has international accreditations and is among the top 800 best universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, and the best universities in the country according to the results of the ranking of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and NCE “Atameken”, and its educational programmes are recognized by international certifications (ACCA, CIMA).
