Graduate School of Public Policy

Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy is the alma mater of successful leaders. The School’s graduates, who have become representatives of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve prove it. They shared their learning experience at NU GSPP which offers to visit the Virtual Open day, that will take place on December 9, 2021 at 19:00 (register here).

Assiya Karibay, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AIFC Bureau for Continuing Professional Development:

“There are few educational institutions in Kazakhstan that teach public policy. Apart from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the MPA Program at NU GSPP is the only source of qualified civil servants of a new formation. The main advantage of studying at NU GSPP is the networking the School provides. We keep in touch with our peers who works in the public and quasi-public sector, and these connections are helpful in our everyday work. I would also like to highlight the School faculty. We continue to keep in touch with our professors, we often seek advice, and the professors never refuse us.”

 Assiya Karibay graduated from the MPA program in 2018. Speaking about the program, she noted that MPA is an applied program. “During the classes, we studied not so much theory as analyzed real cases from practices of both students and professors, considered specific reforms in different countries. That approach was crucial, especially for those who work in public policy and public administration”.

Zhusup Zhumagulov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Akim of Nur-Sultan:

“It all depends on …” – this is the phrase that I remember most of all during my studies at GSPP. When you are involved in public administration, too much depends on circumstances. There are always several possible scenarios, and it is important to know how to choose a path that meets the interests of society and the state. The professors taught us to look at these circumstances soberly and objectively”.

 Zhusup Zhumagulov graduated from NU GSPP in 2020. He joined the civil service in 2015, went from chief specialist to deputy chief of the akim’s staff on the capital. He notes that “today, society has formed a demand for renewal – this is the result of the natural processes of nation formation. NU GSPP allows learning not to be just a part of these processes but also to influence them. This is a place where talented and creative young people are concentrated, open to new knowledge and new opportunities”.

Mikhail Assafov, the Senior Project Assistant at OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, joined the MPA program in 2020:

“Graduate School of Public policy in Nazarbayev University through the concept of Good Governance and all the disciplines that have been taught in the School provides a certain paradigm that can be used in the service the country. The paradigm is mostly related to public management, the implementation of the strategies developed and presented by the Head of State. And it is all related to the change of the whole public service approach and delivery of public service by changing the value system of civil servants. This system should guide and motivate the work of the state system and civil servants, as well as represent a reference point in their moral and ethical dilemmas”.

Source: Tengrinews