Kazakhstan universities in rankings of commitment to sustainable development

Abstract

Over the past years, the Republic of Kazakhstan has been adhering to the globally recognized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its educational policy, as evidenced by the inclusion of these goals in the national development strategy «Kazakhstan 2050,» the National Plan 100 Steps to Achieve Five Institutional Reforms, and the State Program «Nurly Zhol (2020–2025). SDGs are also included in the development strategies of leading universities. Sustainable development, considering national priorities in the field of education, is a key direction for improving the higher education system in Kazakhstan. To better understand the development of universities in Kazakhstan within the paradigm of sustainable development, the authors reviewed the results of the international rankings UI GreenMetric and QS Sustainability World University Rankings. The article also compares universities in Kazakhstan with universities in other Central Asian countries. According to the UI GreenMetric 2023 ranking, the TOP 500 includes 4 universities from Kazakhstan, 7 universities from Uzbekistan, and 2 universities from Turkmenistan. According to the QS Sustainability University Rankings 2023, only one university from Kazakhstan is included in the TOP 500 of all universities in Central Asia. The article concludes that universities in Kazakhstan demonstrate modest positions internationally in their commitment to the SDGs, while at the same time, they take leading positions in terms of ecological development compared to universities in other Central Asian countries.