In order to help UK institutions catch up with the latest news in the education markets of the Wider Europe region, we would like to present you with some updates related to Covid-19 outbreak and its impact in the education markets in Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. 

Main news in the Wider Europe region: 

Kazakhstan – Online learning at all levels of study, school final exams cancelled, university entry tests are to be held as planned, agents girding loins, opportunities for the UK
Turkey  - School and higher education institutions are closed. Education is delivered online
Uzbekistan  - Schools/HEIs closed, online / TV lessons in place, opportunities for the UK

IELTS tests to reopen in the midst of May should the government restrictions be lifted in all of the three countries. 

For more information, you can find country staff contact at the pottom of the page.

KAZAKHSTAN

Updated 29 April

The Kazakh government announced national state of emergency from 16 March till 15 April, which was then prolonged until 11 May 2020. 

Starting 19 March, major cities were put in lockdown conditions and all inbound and outbound international and domestic flights to these cities were cancelled. Gradually, the number of closed cities for quarantine grew and at the moment all cities in Kazakhstan are under lockdown conditions.

The government encouraged employers to send their staff to working from home wherever it was possible. Later on, the government ordered businesses to temporarily close down from 30 March till 5 April, consecutively the government’s order for businesses shutdown was extended till the end of April and then till 11 May. 

As of 29 April, people are not allowed to move inside and outside their cities and are advised to stay at home and only to go outside if there is a need to do groceries, to go to work if they have a special permission or to visit healthcare facilities and drugstores. Currently, it is expected that the state of emergency and lockdown should be lifted on 11 May. 

School and university closures

With the decision of the Kazakh government on 13 March, all educational institutions (kindergartens, schools, TVET and HE institutions and other education provides) stopped delivering face to face training. Thus, school pupils were sent to an extended three-week break from 16 March till 6 April and University and TVET students were switched to online and distance learning form starting 16 March.

Online school studies were resumed from 6 April with the piloted lessons conducted on 2 April. On 10 April, the decision of having only streaming lessons for school students was reversed and instead, the Ministry of Education and Science decoded to include a number of online platforms for self-study / doing homework with additional televised classes on two national TV channels. 

The Ministry of Education and Science decided to cancel all final year exams for school students from grades 9 to 11, but Unified National Test (UNT), which is the entry test for university studies in Kazakhstan, will not be postponed or cancelled.

At this stage, it is very unlikely that the school year will be extended to a few more summer months. The next academic year at all levels is start as usual in September. 

Examinations

Unified National Test, the Kazakh state matriculation test, is to be held as planned in the window between late June and the beginning of July. The UNT dates will be determined once there is a clear picture with COVID-19 developments. 

As UNT is likely to proceed with no changes, the Ministry of Education and Science issued 70 variants of free mock tests for 11-year students to fully prepare for the upcoming test. These mock tests will be based on the material they have studies during their school education. 

Local HEIs have moved their admissions work to online and have been consulting students via online platforms, videocalls and interactive sessions. Deadlines for applications haven’t been extended as the Ministry of Education and Science did not move the dates of national university entry test.

Competing markets

UK’s competitors such as Education USA, Study in Canada and others are currently cancelling all face to face recruitment fairs and are now working on establishing relationship with prospective students through various digital events (webinars, workshops and talks), promotions and consultancy. Nearly all countries are now offering extended deadlines for application submissions and online start of a student’s international education. 

Agents

Agencies are now are the most vulnerable stakeholders in the education market of Kazakhstan because they instantly react to all the changes happening in student mobility. With restrictions and lockdowns posed, small agencies are doing their best to keep their market presence, but it would be hard for them to hold up if the quarantine measures are to be extended for a longer period. 

Currently lots of students defer or even cancel their applications for study abroad because of the uncertainty in the world and economic downtime, say Kazakh agents. Another insight is that students who previously planned to go to UK’s prestigious universities are now trying to find an option to change their institution to a low-cost HEI in the UK or another country. 

Opportunities

UK HEIs can strengthen their media presence in Kazakhstan and attract would-be students for the years to come by showing how interested they are in Kazakhstan. This can be done either with the help of the British Council or independently. As the British Council possesses respectable and highly appreciated reputation in Kazakhstan, we would be happy to help you conduct profile-raising activities, run webinars and engage with students through various online initiatives. 

It is a great time for UK institutions to start up TNE partnerships with Kazakhstani universities to deliver their programmes partially in Kazakhstan. Most of Kazakhstani HEIs are keen to develop double/dual degree programmes and this can be a solution for attracting students from Kazakhstan. 

The Centre for International Programmes known as Bolashaq Presidential Scholarship will be unchangingly continuing its funding of students who go abroad for studies. It is a recommendation to keep close cooperation with the scholarship programme as they are keen to send students for PG and internship programmes.

British Council outlook for the nearest future

Student mobility from Kazakhstan is likely to shrink significantly for the 2020 intake according to the data we have collated from various education stakeholders and government bodies. Students might be thinking to choose to defer/cancel their applications, to study at elite local universities or to find other low-cost study destinations in the aftermath of COVID-19 outbreak, because of:

1. economic downturn
2. uncertain feelings towards travels to other countries
3. and the fear of another worldwide virus outbreak. 

Students and their parents prefer traditional way of studies rather than online delivery of classes, this could be another reason why students will be choosing to study in-country or deferring their application to next year. However, if a good marketing strategy is in place and British institutions can offer reasonable prices for the online part of their programme, students might be laying their choice of preference on the partially online programme that is proposed. 

If boarders are open and international flights are allowed by June-July 2020, there will be a number of students going to the UK for studies through Bolashaq or on their own.

UK’s position in Kazakhstan compared to USA, Canada and Australia is brighter because these markets are located too far away and in case of other worldwide collapses, students and their parents would not be wanting to put their lives in risk by travelling to very distant locations.

Contact

For more information and insights about the COVID-19 situation in Kazakhstan, please contact Zhanaidar Duzgenbay, International Education Services Coordinator, Kazakhstan at Zhanaidar.Duzgenbay@britishcouncil.org.

TURKEY

Updated 29 April

To respond to Covid-19, Turkey is using a combination of containment and mitigation activities with the intention of delaying major surges of patients and levelling the demand for hospital beds. 

The government imposed an indefinite lockdown for people who are under 20 and over 65, crucially exempting most of the workforce as to keep Turkey’s economy on track.

Currently the public is strongly advised to stay home and practise social distancing. 

All international and inter-city flights are stopped as of 27 March until 28 May and, motorway driving between cities is not allowed. 

All public venues are shut down to prevent the spread of a contagious disease. 

The ban is extended to citizens of selected 31 major cities at the weekends and during national holidays since 10 April.

School and university closures

Over 26 million students are affected by Covid-19. 18 million are school students and 8 million are higher education students.

As of 16 March, all schools and universities in the country are closed following an announcement by the Ministry of Education (MoNE) and Council of Higher Education (CoHE). All schools and majority of universities have moved into distant teaching delivery. Delivery platforms are detailed in the next section.

Both at national education (K12) and higher education level, senior year students will be receiving their diplomas (if they meet the requirements) at the end of spring semester.

Schools

There are 18 million students in school education in Turkey.

The Minister of Education announced on 29 May that schools will remain closed until 31 May.  Schools would reopen as of 1 June if the normalisation continues as planned. 

MoNE introduced reduced teaching delivered through their online platform EBA (Education Information Network) and TV channels nationwide.  The system including its content was prepared in a week. The quality of the content, materials and teaching skills are found insufficient by the public.  In the meantime, private schools have been using their own online platforms for teaching.  

Accessing to online education was an issue, therefore the main platform for MoNE’s distant learning offer is TV channels. 

Authorities confirm that senior year students will receive their diplomas at the end of the spring semester. MoNE announced that students grade point average will be calculated according to first semester’s scores. If students fail in any subjects, they will still be able to progress to the next grade with the condition of repeating the subject next year.

Private schools have been running their online exams as a back-up option and it is unclear if they are able to take into consideration the exam results when calculating the overall Grade Point Average (GPA).

Universities

Eight million students are in the higher education system. 

Council of Higher Education (CoHE) announced that there will be no face-to-face teaching for this spring semester. 

123 Turkish universities have an UZEM (Distance Education Application and Research Centre) system. The remainder offer online classes through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Moodle or through their own Learning Management Systems.

CoHE opened the course materials to all students on ‘CoHE Courses Platform’. This platform has been constantly developed and enriched with the contribution of other Turkish universities. The platform mainly includes videos and course materials for students who are part of Turkish Medium of Instruction courses.  However, there are no materials for EMI studies. 

Needs of universities, which lack infrastructure for online delivery, will also be met in cooperation with other universities under the coordination of CoHE. 

According to the recent decision taken by CoHE, students, who study at associate degree, undergraduate and graduate levels, can suspend their studies for the spring term of the 2019-2020 academic year due to the pandemic, and have their thesis defences and proficiency exams carried out through digital tools such as video conferencing, provided that they could be audited and recorded.

In summary, universities are authorised to deliver and assess theoretical parts of the courses through distance education and digital teaching if they have the necessary technical infrastructure and competence. 

International Student Mobility

Initial observation is that students are likely to go ahead with their UK study plans to start in September. Only a small number of students consider deferring their studies.  

A student survey will be run to analyse students’ motivation better. The results will be ready by the end of May.

MoNE scholarship programme and Chevening scholarship are not affected by Covid-19 up until now. However, if the situation doesn’t change and online education is extended to fresher students, MoNE may reconsider postponing the start of these scholars until the face-to-face education restarts.

Examinations

Progression to high school exams are due to take place on 7 June as planned. University entrance exams are rescheduled as 25-26 July 2020.  Results of university exams are expected to be announced by the end of August.  Questions for both exams will be limited to curriculum offered in the first semester only. 

British Council postponed IELTS exams until  11  May.

IB: IB exams for spring term have been cancelled. Students’ grades will be calculated according to homework and assignments that they have submitted in this term.

AP: Online version has been introduced as response to Covid-19. Exams will be held between 11 and 22 May. Make-Up exam will be between 1-5 June. Online versions of the exams will cover only the materials that are covered until the beginning of March. The questions will consist of only free-response questions. Each exam will be 45 minutes long and students will take the exam at the same time all around the world. 

SAT: SAT and SAT Subject Tests on 2 May and 6 June are cancelled around the world. Weekend SAT sessions will be provided every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August.

ACT: ACT exams are postponed from 3-4 April to 12-13 June and will be offered in July, September, October and December.

UKVI

In light of the worldwide impacts of Covid-19, Istanbul visa department and the Visa application centres in Turkey are closed and will not be able to process any visa applications until further notice. This means that all visa applications will be put on hold until they re-open. 

For the latest information on VAC openings visit https://pos.tlscontact.com/turkey 

MoNE and Chevening scholarship programmes

The majority of MoNE scholars are still in the UK. The Ministry advises them to stay in the UK if possible. Some of the scholars who need to do laboratory work request to freeze their scholarship to complete their study properly.

Ministry’s scholarship applications for 21/22 intake will be announced in July.

MoNE allows their scholars to take online pre-sessional courses in this summer. 

Chevening scholars have come back to Turkey continuing their studies remotely. Student selection for 20-21 intake has been completed and they have 26 scholars due to start in September. Applications for 21/21 intake are due to be announced in August as before.

Contact

The International Education Services Turkey team will roll out a series of webinars for UK institutions to reach out students, parents and school counsellors in Turkey. Also, direct marketing services including digital promotion are available to help the UK institutions engage with students and retain presence in Turkey. 

For more information, please contact Semra Yalcin Dogan at Semra.Yalcin@britishcouncil.org.tr   

UZBEKISTAN

Updated 29 April

The first coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15. From March 16 to April 20, the Uzbek authorities suspended transport links with other countries and closed airports. 

In the country, all public events were cancelled, entertainment facilities and public gathering facilities were closed. 

Since March 23, border checkpoints for foreigners have been closed at the border of the republic. Since March 24, strict quarantine was introduced in Tashkent, and later in a number of cities. Passenger traffic between regions of the country was suspended. Trips by private cars are prohibited.

The restrictive measures (quarantine) introduced by the special republican commission before April 20, are extended until May 10.

Tashkent - the most disciplined city during quarantine in CIS according to Yandex monitor with almost 100% obeying quarantine.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 92 thousand people are currently in quarantine, including more than 21 thousand people in hospitals, 1,969 cases of coronavirus are affected, 1,066 patients recovered, and 8 deaths were recorded. As of today number of cured is over than the number of infected and we are on downside of the curve.

State formed a fund with 10Bln USD to overcome the crisis.

Education sector's response

• Online and TV education is introduced for primary and secondary education
• Call to individuals and organisations with online education experience to support ministry
• All Universities moved to online education
• MHSSE announced extension of distance learning and end the current academic year until July 1

• According to the order of the ministry (available to the editorial office), university rectors are instructed to ensure the completion of the current academic year by July 1 by ensuring the effectiveness of distance learning.
• At the same time, teaching staff is transferred to the remote work mode 
• Bachelor graduates will take state exams in the form of online tests. To this end, university leaders were instructed to carry out organizational and methodological work
• State certification for graduate masters will also be organized in the form of online presentations

Main challenges and opportunities for the UK

CHALLENGES

• Not all education institutions and students are ready to move to e-learning – no experience and expertise
• No online resources and course content/methodology
• Difficulties holding assessments and exams
• Curriculum and faculty training may not be too stringent or inflexible.
• There is not enough trained faculty in the Uzbekistan who could administer or teach the TNE degree or course
• Lockdown pressures: Face to face culture, stress
• Economic pressures: budget cuts, savings, scholarships

OPPORTUNITIES

• Education sector can, ready and allowed to pilot, test and improve e-learning
• Opportunity to form TNE collaborations with local HEIs
• Great need for online learning and assessment solutions
• Digital marketing to students, as they are becoming more independent 
• Webinars on Study UK and other available study programmes
• Work with education agents and agencies
• Student surveys
• Partnering with UK orgs to deliver TNE course: National Higher Education Reform Decree requires all local universities to teach at least one programme in English by 2020. This means almost every University is looking for partnership opportunity.

• Although Government is planning to cut expenditures planned for the year
• Banks are not planning to cut student loans – interest free 10-year loans for bachelor’ and 5 year loans for master’s studies are available
• El Yurt Umidi foundation is planning to send 900 people abroad this year (700+200 civil servants). This is because government is in need of qualified people to run the country

British Council’s response:

For English teachers (higher and public education)

• Widely introduce a globally offered StayHome package 

For PRESETT and ESP teams a series of webinars on ELT planned

• Changes in English, 
• Assessment of grammar in context, 
• Reading skills improvement. 

Within HEfE project

• Webinar on Data Management for QA in HE 
• Change Academy Continuity Support webinar

Competitors

• Change of priorities as a response to Covid-19
• Face-to-face events are replaced by online delivery

US organisations 

• Webinars and courses for English teachers
• Extended deadlines for Scholarship schemes
• “Choosing a US university” webinars

Contact

For more information and insights about the COVID-19 situation in Uzbekistan, please contact Shukhrat Amanov, Country Projects Manager, British Council Uzbekistan at Shukhrat.amanov@britishcouncil.org 

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES:

1. Kazakhstan - Zhanaidar Duzgenbay, Zhanaidar.Duzgenbay@britishcouncil.org
2. Turkey - Semra Yalcin Dogan, Semra.Yalcin@britishcouncil.org.tr  
3. Uzbekistan - Shukhrat Amanov, Shukhrat.amanov@britishcouncil.org