The International Education Services team in Wider Europe would like to present you with the latest Covid-19 developments in the respective countries. 

In our second update we would like to talk about state response to the pandemic, education system changes, economic situations and our outlook for student mobility in 2020. 

Here are the changes at a glance: 

Kazakhstan – phased reopening underway, international flights resuming, the academic year is finished, final exam were cancelled, matriculation exams are starting soon

Russia - the lockdown is over, IELTS centres have reopened, domestic flights have resumed, blended learning is under development, new educational programme is available

Turkey - businesses have resumed operation, limited international flights available (majority servicing EU countries), the academic year is ending, MoNE will accept scholars to continue their education with hybrid learning

Uzbekistan - quarantine restrictions will be maintained until 1 August, international flights are resuming, the academic year is finished, final exams were completed virtually, university applications for 2020-21 academic year will commence, a unified exam will be introduced from the 2021-22 acadmeic year

Kazakhstan

Updated 23 June 2020

From March 16, after the World Health Organization defined the spread of the coronavirus a pandemic, Kazakhstan declared a state of emergency to help curb the spread of infections.

The state of emergency was lifted on 11 May with quarantine measures persisting in nearly all regions of the country. The decision to soften or completely remove the current restrictive measures will be decentralised to city/regional administrations.

Domestic flights in Kazakhstan resumed from 1 May and from 11 May citizens have not been required to provide a Covid-19 negative test result to catch an internal flight. Kazakhstan resumed international flights from 20 June with the first flights being carried out to and from Turkey, China, South Korea, Thailand, Georgia and Japan.

School and university closures

Education institutions remain closed. Kazakhstan students at all stages of their education finished the 2019-20 academic year online.

Mass gatherings are still prohibited, which leaves students in their final year of HE and TVET with no graduation ceremonies.

HE institutions are now waiting for the outcomes of the Unified National Test (UNT) to start their admission processes for the 2020-21 academic year. The UNT is the Kazakh state HE admission test that needs to be taken by all those wishing to study at an HEI in Kazakhstan. Most HEIs have successfully implemented their own online application sites allowing students to apply for places on UG/PG courses remotely.

Examinations

School students were exempt from taking their final exams, whilst HE and TVET students had to take their final exams remotely on university platforms with some of them being proctored in real time.

Kazakhstan’s state matriculation test, which is called Unified National Testing (UNT), will be held from 20 June in 168 locations throughout the country, with strict sanitary requirements being followed.

University and TVET graduates are presenting their final coursework and thesis' to committees of assessors in the form of online presentations.

The British Council has started conducting computer-delivered IELTS in Almaty and Nur-Sultan for smaller groups, and resumed paper-based IELTS testing throughout the country from 18 June.

Student financial support

The Bolashaq Presidential Scholarship Programme is continuing its work and aims to fund around 550 students for overseas study in 2020-21. The application process for potential scholars will commence once the Ministry of Education and Science completes approval of the new list of recommended institutions. As soon as the approval process is finished, Bolashaq will launch the new application process – you can learn more on their official website.

The Financial Centre of the Ministry of Education and Science is in the early stages of devising a simplified programme for student loans with low interest rates.

Competitors

Competing markets have stopped running face-to-face activities and are cancelling their autumn recruitment fairs.

EducationUSA is not expecting any international students to come to the USA this academic year, yet they are still continuing to provide consultancy work to education enquirers.

EduCanada organised a virtual fair for Central Asian students back in May. No official results of the event have been made public.

Overall, competitors are focussing on online activities such as subject-oriented webinars and live chats, which appear to be popular with the student market in Kazakhstan.

Economic situation

Over the period of the state of emergency, the Government of Kazakhstan injected a total of 6 trillion tenge (£11.7 billion) into the economy to support its citizens and businesses.

The Government has set up a special committee, effective 27 May, which will include a number of prominent civil servants and representatives of semi-state agencies and organisations, to support the recovery of the economy from the damage inflicted by Covid-19.

According to the Ministry of National Economy, by the end of 2020 Kazakhstan’s economy will reach its lowest levels in development with -0.9% underperformance caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and continued restrictive measures in and outside the country.

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.

Russia

Updated 23 June

Overview:

The lockdown is now over in Russia, restrictions are being lifted in stages with the final phase to be completed at the end of June. The first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Russia was reported on 2 March in Moscow. On 25 March President Putin announced there would be nationwide closures of workplaces, urging citizens to stay at home. This non-working period was prolonged twice, however the vast majority of businesses resumed operations on 9 June. Self-isolation has been lifted, but some Russian regions remain closed to visitors. Citizens continue to be required to wear face masks, which will be necessary for several months. IELTS centres have reopened, however visa centres remain closed. International flights are now available only for medical purposes or for those who are travelling to work or study abroad with an ability to cross the border once only.

Covid-19 effect on schools and universities:

Higher education institutions and schools are currently teaching via online platforms with academic and student mobility put on hold. Summer programmes were cancelled as a result of the pandemic. Despite this, education agents have reported no more than 15 per cent cancellations of academic programmes for the 2020-21 academic year, and UK remains the first choice for students. An increased demand for education abroad is also predicted for 2021-22.  

Schools

The academic year is now over. The Basic State Exam for 9th graders, OGE, was cancelled, while Unified State Exam (EGE) for students planning to enter higher education institutions will be held face-to-face between 3 and 23 July, with additional dates also available in August. The awards ceremony for diplomas is scheduled to go ahead online. Face-to-face teaching will resume when safe, however digital platforms will be developed further.

Higher Education

Universities will start the application process online from 20 June. Moscow State University and St Petersburg University will hold their exams in August 2020. Universities hope to commence the 2020-21 academic year with face-to-face learning, implementing safety measures for Covid-19. If this is not possible, universities will move to a blended method, with lectures held online and seminars and lab work conducted face-to-face in small groups. Late start is also a possible option.

Blended learning development

Blended learning has proved to be a new trend in education that should be embedded in a new education strategy. Many universities are planning to continue blended learning, exploring replacing face-to-face lectures with online courses when further developed in five years. Russian MOOC platforms will also be developed further. 

Many leading universities are planning to increase independent online course production, with the intention of making them partly open to the public free of charge.

New educational programme

“Strategic academic leadership programme” is a new Russian reform in education that will replace Project 5-100 starting from 2020. It is based on the importance of science and higher education for achieving national development goals, which includes becoming a top five world economy by developing innovative businesses. The reform will involve over 100 leading universities in over 50 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Thus it creates opportunities for joint research as well as TNE. Another fundamental aim of the reform is for Russian leading universities to achieve high standings in established educational rankings (THE, QS etc.).

Economy

Russia’s GDP expanded by 1.3 per cent in 2019 and 1.8 per cent in Q1 of 2020, showing more or less stable numbers during the last three years. The lockdown period halted Russia’s economy, driving the government to introduce economic support, such as lowering mortgage rates and providing additional payments for non-working citizens and families with children. The measures taken by the government is estimated to amount to over 2 trillion Russian rubles (£22.8 billion). Covid-19 has however weakened the Russian economy, Central Bank predicts a drop of 4.2 – 4.5 per cent in GDP, mainly due to the significant reduction of exports. Stabilisation of the economy is predicted due to large national projects and trade recovery.

Contact

For more information and insights about the Covid-19 situation in Russia, please feel free to contact Daria Lavrentieva lavrentieva@ecmcentre.com and Elizaveta Utolina Elizaveta.Utolina@britishcouncil.org.

Turkey

Updated 23 June

Turkey lifted lockdown on 1 June, with the majority of public places now open. People over 65 can go out between certain hours whilst children under 18 have no time restrictions, however they must be accompanied by a parent at all times. All businesses have resumed operation, except some entertainment venues. Limited international flights resumed on 11 June, with the majority servicing EU countries.

Economic outlook in Turkey

No update.

School and university closures

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

On 16 March, all schools and universities in the country closed following an announcement by the Ministry of Education (MoNE) and Council of Higher Education (CoHE). All schools and the majority of universities have since moved to distant teaching .  Senior year students at national education (K12) and higher education level will be receiving their diplomas (if they meet the requirements) at the end of the spring semester.

Schools

Spring term ends on 19 June, with schools set to reopen on 31 August. This is three weeks earlier than usual to create time for catch-up classes.

Universities

CoHE announced their new approach for blended teaching, encouraging universities to deliver a minimum of 10 per cent but a maximum of 40 per cent of their teaching online in the next academic year.

Large classes will be divided into smaller groups for the next term.

CoHE will revise its quality, assessment and evaluation standards. They will also relax equivalency policy to encourage students who are currently enrolled to a foreign university to carry on their studies in Turkey.

International Student Mobility

A number of surveys have been published recently. According to IEFT’s survey, the UK is the second preferred overseas destination for studying with 39.7% after US with 43.8%. while Canada is in third place with 38.7%.

Competitors

The British Council Turkey team hosted a meeting with Cultural Offices of competitor countries to understand their response to Covid-19 and how their markets are affected. US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zeeland, Germany (by DAAD), Sweden, Netherlands and US Fulbright were represented.  Most countries’ international student recruitment relies on China and India. The US has concerns due to the Trump administration’s anti-immigration approach towards China which  is expected to affect their market share largely. Most countries have implemented blended (online and F2F teaching) education models. The sentiment of these countries is that student mobility will significantly slowdown in 2020-21. More insights will be shared at our “Post lockdown market insights – latest perspectives from Wider Europe” webinar on 22 June.

Examinations

High school entrance exams took place on 7 June, while university entrance exams are due to take place 27-28 June. Questions for both exams will be limited to curriculum offered in the first semester only.

IELTS exams including computer based, pen and paper and UKVI IELTS resumed in June.

UKVI

UK Visa Application centres in Turkey will be resuming services from 23 June. UKVIs return is yet to be announced.

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

MoNE and Chevening scholarship programmes

It has been confirmed by MoNE that students are permitted to follow their education with hybrid learning and defer their study for a year if they wish.

Ministry’s scholarship applications for the 2021-22 intake will be announced in July.

Chevening applications for the 2021-22 intake are due to be announced in August.

Contact

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

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

Uzbekistan

Updated 23 June 2020

General information

Uzbekistan has the largest population in the Central Asian region. Between 2013 and 2019, the population grew from 30.2 million to 34.1 million, almost a 14 per cent increase in 6 years. Moreover, around 37 per cent (12 million people) of the population are under the age of 19, whilst 60 per cent are under 30. GDP per capita was US $2,020 in 2019.  

State response to Covid-19

The Special Republican Commission to Combat Coronavirus have created three quarantine levels (“red”, “yellow” and “green”), implementing enhanced sanitary and hygienic control, this will be maintained until 1 August. Based on the assessment of the sanitary-epidemiological situation and based on specific criteria (the number of patients and the dynamics of treatment), “red”, “yellow” and “green” levels are assigned to districts and cities.

Since June 15, Uzbekistan has resumed international flights. You can go abroad to care for relatives, to work, study, treat and for other purposes. Flights are too divided into “green”, “yellow” and “red”. The category of countries with a stable sanitary and epidemiological situation includes Japan, South Korea, China and Israel (green flights). If arrivals have been in these countries for 14 days, then upon arrival they will not be quarantined. The category of countries where the incidence of coronavirus is declining includes the countries of the European Union, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore (yellow flights). If arrivals have been in these countries for 14 days, then they will be taken to quarantine at home upon arrival. Other countries, where the number of cases of coronavirus is not decreasing, will be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival, this includes the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and other CIS countries (red flights). 

Education sector's response

• Online and TV education has been introduced for primary and secondary level
• All universities have moved to online education
• MHSSE announced an extension for distance learning, with the current academic year ending 1 July. According to the order of the ministry, university rectors are instructed to ensure the completion of the current academic year by 1 July by ensuring the effectiveness of distance learning
• Teaching staff must now work remotely

Examinations

2019-2020 Academic year

School students final exams were moved to online tests developed by the State Testing Centre and were completed by 1 June.

University and TVET final exams will be held remotely:

• Bachelor graduates will take state exams in the form of online tests
• State certification for masters graduates will also be organised in the form of online presentations.

2020-2021 Academic Year

Currently the State Testing Center (STC) is working on university entrance exams for the 2020-21 academic year and plan to hold exams in the first 2 weeks of August. Application processes to study at local universities will start on 20 June and continue until 20 July. It is expected that this year around 1.2 million students will apply for HE in Uzbekistan.

On 12 June the President instructed the STC and the Ministry of Public Education to develop and submit proposals to the President’s Administration “on unifying the final state certification of graduates of secondary schools and entrance examinations to higher educational institutions with the introduction of a single exam”.

Earlier this year, the CTC published for discussion a draft presidential decree that provides for the introduction of a system of admission to universities based on the results of school graduation tests, without conducting additional exams.

According to the project, it is proposed to introduce a unified exam from the academic year 2021-22. Testing is planned for April-May 2021.

Student support

Although the Government is planning to cut expenditure, they promised full support to the education sector.

• Banks are not planning to cut student loans, interest free 10 year loans are available for bachelors, while 5 year loans for master's students are also available 
• El Yurt Umidi foundation is planning to send 900 people abroad this year (700+200 civil servants). 

The state formed a fund with 10 billion USD to overcome the crisis and to support its citizens and businesses. 

Main challenges and opportunities for the UK

Challenges:

• Not all education institutions and students are ready to move to e-learning due to lack of experience and expertise, there remains a face-to-face demand
• Difficulties holding assessments and exams
• Curriculum and faculty training may be too stringent or inflexible
• Lack of expertise to administer or teach TNE degrees or courses
• Economic pressures are likely to see budget cuts and reduced scholarships

Opportunities for the UK:

• Great need for online learning and assessment solutions
• Digital marketing opportunities as students are becoming more independent
• Demand for webinars on available study programmes
• Work with education agents and agencies to highlight study in the UK 
• Ability to form TNE collaborations with local HEIs

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