This study examines the challenges of accessing higher education in Kazakhstan and evaluates its equity for all students. The primary goal is to identify and analyse the main barriers that hinder access to higher education. The methodology uses McCowan’s three-dimensional approach to determine when access to higher education is considered fair in the Kazakhstani context. The dimensions include availability (distribution of educational facilities), accessibility (access to resources), and horizontality (power dynamics in university rankings). Through describing each dimension with the capability approach, identified conversion factors are evaluated as barriers to access. To identify these conversion factors, a mixed analysis is conducted. This includes a secondary data analysis of reports on educational resource distribution, regional income levels, and enrollment rates, covering approximately 327,000 school graduates from all regions of Kazakhstan for 2022 and 2023. Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews focusing on students' study conditions at schools, opportunities for tutoring, socio-economic backgrounds, and access to universities. The interview is based on purposive convenience sampling of 10 urban and 10 rural teachers/proforientologists from Kazakhstan. The results indicate that rural students face significant barriers, such as socio-economic disadvantages, lack of funding, and fears of moving to bigger cities, making access to higher education less likely compared to their urban counterparts. The study concludes that policy reforms are necessary to address these disparities and improve resource distribution. Future research should focus on collecting primary data to gain a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by students in different regions and socio-economic strata.

Authors:
Nazym Shaikhina, SDU University, Kazakhstan
Dana Duskaliyeva, SDU University, Kazakhstan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Nazym Shaikhina is a dedicated lecturer at SDU University, teaching Innovative Trends in Education.

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