Can Kazakhstan become a Central Asian education hub? ——An innovative analysis of Knight's international education hub theory

• In Event: Higher education in Central Asia: Student experiences, faculty-student collaboration, and internationalization

Proposal

In a world of deepening globalization, education is not only a crucial manifestation of a nation's soft power but also a key area of ​​regional cooperation and competition. As the largest country and strongest economy in Central Asia, Kazakhstan is actively promoting national modernization and transformation, proposing national development goals such as "Kazakhstan 2050" and "Digital Kazakhstan" in an effort to become a global middle power. From a geopolitical perspective, Kazakhstan considers the internationalization of education a core pillar of national development. It is committed to enhancing its position in the global education system through deepening educational reform and strengthening international cooperation, aiming to establish itself as a Central Asian education hub. However, as international higher education scholar Jane Knight has pointed out, the idea of ​​an education hub often stems from a nation's ambition, but its realization requires a solid educational foundation, sustained policy support, diverse participation mechanisms, and a clear development orientation. So, does Kazakhstan have the potential to become a Central Asian education hub? This article attempts to answer this question by exploring the motivations, strategic planning, and practical measures for Kazakhstan's efforts to become a Central Asian education hub. The theoretical framework of this article is based on Jane Knight's theory of international education hubs. Jane Knight (2011) identified the term "international education hub" as the latest manifestation of educational internationalization and the latest form of cross-border education, and provided a universal conceptual definition. She argued that "international education hubs are initiatives that strategically engage in cross-border education, training, knowledge production, and innovation through planned efforts to bring together a large number of local and international participants." Based on a review of policy practice cases in various countries and regions, Jane Knight (2014) proposed three types of hubs: student, talent, and knowledge/innovation. Knight also proposed five analytical dimensions: focus, objectives, policy areas, actors, and strategies. These five dimensions can be used to analyze the characteristics of different types of education hubs and serve as a framework for international comparisons of the same type of hub. This article analyzes Kazakhstan's development into a Central Asian education hub using these five dimensions. The research finds that Kazakhstan's motivations for building a Central Asian education hub are: promoting national development and transformation to enhance economic competitiveness; cultivating high-quality international elites and strengthening talent support; leading changes in knowledge production and stimulating innovative contributions; and leveraging its geostrategic position to exert political influence. To build itself into a Central Asian education hub, Kazakhstan has not only strengthened top-level policy design but also implemented measures such as attracting world-class universities to establish overseas branches, attracting Central Asian students to study in Kazakhstan, establishing multi-tiered science and technology parks to support educational development, and participating in global education governance to enhance regional influence. Although Kazakhstan has achieved significant success in its efforts to build a Central Asian education hub, it still faces numerous challenges, including a lack of targeted policy planning and a loss of high-quality professional talent. More importantly, its efforts to build a Central Asian education hub stem primarily from government will and national guidance, driven by the government rather than universities, resulting in a lack of internal motivation on the part of universities. Furthermore, Kazakhstan faces fierce competition from neighboring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan in its efforts to build a Central Asian education hub. This article's theoretical innovations are reflected in three key areas: First, this study represents an innovative application and expansion of Jane Knight's theory of international education hubs. This theory has been primarily applied to the analysis of emerging economies such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but has been relatively limited in its application to the Global South, particularly in Central Asia. Second, this study subverts and innovates Jane Knight's theory of typological development stages of international education hubs, arguing that Kazakhstan has capitalized on its latecomer advantage and simultaneously developed into a hub for student, talent, and knowledge innovation. Furthermore, Kazakhstan's knowledge innovation differs from that of other education hubs, such as free trade ports like Singapore. Third, this study broadens the scope of application of Jane Knight's theory. Previous research on international education hubs has tended to be limited to a single region or area. In its development as a Central Asian education hub, Kazakhstan's influence extends beyond neighboring Central Asian countries and radiates to countries such as Russia, China, and the European Union.

Author

• Xuemei Ma, Zhejiang Uinversity