Policy, practice and skill development: a study of Kazakhstan's higher education landscape

PurposeAs part of this larger project, this paper aims to understand the possible shortcomings of the university-level education system in skill development that may be the reason for low adult proficiency in the country.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the question, national policy document reviews and semi-structured interviews with faculty members in four different universities were conducted. The aim for policy review was to understand how graduate skills are constructed policy-wise which is further explored through faculty perception of how skills are formed in practice at the university level. The latter is also thought to shed light on perceived shortcomings of skills development which would let us understand the relationship between university system training and low adult skill proficiency indicators in the country. Qualitative inductive analysis was used to analyze the data.FindingsResults indicate that Kazakhstan's shift to competency-based education following its 2010 Bologna Declaration adoption has posed challenges, particularly in transitioning from traditional teaching methods to competency-based learning. This transition, compounded by curriculum overload from the previous paradigm, hinders effective skill-based teaching. The country's recent focus on lifelong learning underscores the need to enhance the population's skills through quality programs. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach from policymakers and practitioners, emphasizing holistic skill development and lifelong learning.Research limitations/implicationsPotential limitation is that the data only reflects staff perceptions and further detailed content analysis of the current university curriculum and compulsory subjects syllabus along with the historical analysis of policies and university curriculum to understand the change would shed more light into the possible shortcomings in university education that potentially influences adult proficiency level in the country.Originality/valueThis paper is sought to contribute to the limited scholarly discussion on the issues around skill development at the university level in the context of developing countries which would inform policymakers and practitioners in similar contexts to understand the factors behind low adult skills.