EDUCATIONAL MIGRATION AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING NATIONAL HUMAN CAPITAL: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE BOLASHAK PROGRAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ws.2(92).2026.5978Keywords:
Educational Migration; International Academic Mobility; Human Capital; National Human Capital; Knowledge Transfer; Brain Circulation; Managed Educational Migration; Bolashak Program; Higher Education Internationalization; KazakhstanAbstract
The development of human capital has become a strategic priority for states seeking to strengthen their competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. In this context, international educational migration is increasingly viewed not only as a form of academic mobility but also as a mechanism for the accumulation, circulation, and utilization of knowledge in support of national development. This article examines the Bolashak International Scholarship Program of the Republic of Kazakhstan as an institutional mechanism for transforming educational migration into national human capital.
The purpose of the study is to provide a theoretical and analytical interpretation of the Bolashak Program as a model of managed educational migration and to explain the mechanisms through which overseas education contributes to long-term national development. The research is based on an integrative literature review, thematic analysis, institutional analysis, comparative analysis, and the formal-legal method. The source base includes international and national studies on educational migration, human capital development, knowledge circulation, and the Bolashak Program.
The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of overseas education programs depends not solely on participation in international academic mobility but on the existence of an institutional chain connecting public investment in education, the acquisition of global competencies, graduate return and reintegration mechanisms, knowledge transfer processes, and subsequent institutional transformation. Based on this analysis, the article proposes a conceptual model explaining how educational migration can be converted into a sustainable resource for national development.
The originality of the study lies in conceptualizing the Bolashak Program as an institutionalized model of managed educational migration and in developing a framework that links educational mobility, knowledge circulation, and national human capital formation. The practical significance of the research consists in identifying institutional conditions that enhance the developmental impact of state-sponsored international scholarship programs.
References
Nygymetov, G. (2013, November 25). «Bolashak» dokazal, chto on, v pervuyu ochered', Prezidentskaya programma [Bolashak proved that it is, first and foremost, a Presidential program]. Zakon.kz. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://www.zakon.kz
Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2008). Ob utverzhdenii Pravil otbora pretendentov dlya prisuzhdeniya mezhdunarodnoy stipendii «Bolashak» i opredelenii napravleniy raskhodovaniya mezhdunarodnoy stipendii «Bolashak» [On approval of the Rules for selecting applicants for the Bolashak International Scholarship and determining expenditure directions]. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://adilet.zan.kz
Asanova G., Ryssaldy K. Academic mobility as the source of scientific-educational cooperation // CBU International Conference on Integration and Innovation in Science and Education. 2013. P. 174–181. https://doi.org/10.12955/cbup.2013.31
Rustemova A., Meirmanov S., Okada A., Ashinova Z., Rustem K. The Academic Mobility of Students from Kazakhstan to Japan: Problems and Prospects // Social Sciences. 2020. Vol. 9, No. 8. Art. 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9080143
Balatskiy, E. V., & Ekimova, N. A. (2013). Rynok vysshego ekonomicheskogo obrazovaniya v Rossii: ot ratsionirovaniya k kvazidempingu [The market of higher economic education in Russia: From rationing to quasi-dumping]. Problemy razvitiya sistemy vysshego obrazovaniya.
Tomanova M., Zhumashov Y. Impact of the International Educational Program «Bolashak» on the Image of the Republic of Kazakhstan // Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2014. Vol. 143. P. 282–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.405
Shaimerdenova A., Garcia-Zamor J.-C. Influence of Human Capital on Economic Growth: A Comparative Analysis of Education Development in Kazakhstan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia // Journal of Public Administration and Governance. 2017. Vol. 7, No. 3. P. 30–46. https://doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v7i3.11521
Kuzhabekova A., Sparks J., Temerbayeva A. Returning from Study Abroad and Transitioning as a Scholar: Stories of Foreign PhD Holders from Kazakhstan // Research in Comparative and International Education. 2019. Vol. 14, No. 3. P. 412–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745499919868644
Tokayev, K.-J. (2026). Vystuplenie Glavy gosudarstva Kasym-Zhomarta Tokayeva v tsentre «Gylym Ordasy» [Speech of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Gylym Ordasy Center]. Official Website of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://www.akorda.kz
Perna L.W., Orosz K., Jumakulov Z. Understanding the Human Capital Benefits of a Government-Funded International Scholarship Program: An Exploration of Kazakhstan’s Bolashak Program // International Journal of Educational Development. 2015. Vol. 40. P. 85–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.12.003
Goh M., Uralbayev S., Trad J.K. Internationalization in Kazakhstan Higher Education: Towards Intercultural Competence and Citizenship // Social Sciences. 2026. Vol. 15. Art. 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15040242
Kazakhstan’s Scholarship Program Bolashak. Astana: Center for International Programs, б. г. URL: https://bolashak.gov.kz (дата обращения: 30.05.2026).
Jonbekova D., Serkova Y., Mazbulova Z., Jumakulov Z., Ruby A. How International Higher Education Graduates Contribute to Their Home Country: An Example from Government Scholarship Recipients in Kazakhstan // Higher Education Research & Development. 2023. Vol. 42, No. 1. P. 126–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.2019200
Mencet M.S., Gabdyssalyk R. How Can Distance Learning Offer Opportunities for Developing Countries? Case of Turkey and Kazakhstan // Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues. 2023. Vol. 10, No. 3. P. 231–253. https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2023.10.3(16)
Delovarova L.F., Almanova B.K., Kiikbay M.K. Mechanisms and Channels of International Student Migration of Kazakhstani Youth // International Relations and International Law Journal. 2023. Vol. 53, No. 3. https://doi.org/10.48371/ISMO.2023.53.3.002
Jonbekova D. Government Scholarships for International Higher Education: Pathways for Social Change in Kazakhstan // Higher Education. 2024. Vol. 87. P. 761–777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01034-8
Almukhambetova A. Geopolitics of Internationalisation of Higher Education in the Context of Conflict: Evidence from Kazakhstan // Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2026. Vol. 24, No. 1. P. 295–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2025.2536293
Amirbekova D., Makhanova A., Kussaiyn M. Aligning Higher Education Toward the Development of an Educational Hub: The Case of Kazakhstan // Education Sciences. 2025. Vol. 15, No. 12. Art. 1597. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15121597
Pogorelskaya, A. M., & Pokrovskaia, A. V. (2025). Obrazovatel'naya migratsiya v Evrazii: keys Kazakhstana [Educational migration in Eurasia: The case of Kazakhstan]. Mirovaya ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya, 69(2), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2025-69-2-97-109
Robertson D.L., Bayetova N. Peculiarities and Paradoxes of Neoliberal Higher Education in Kazakhstan // Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education. 2021. Vol. 13, No. 3. P. 226–241. https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v13iSummer.3183
Bokayev B., Torebekova Z., Davletbayeva Z. Preventing Brain Drain: Kazakhstan’s Presidential «Bolashak» Scholarship and Government Regulations of Intellectual Migration // Public Policy and Administration. 2020. Vol. 19, No. 3. P. 25–35. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.19.3.27764
Programme «Bolashak» — 30 let [The Bolashak Program turns 30]. (2023, December 8). Official Information Resource of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://primeminister.kz
Imangaliyeva S., Spencer W. Self-Reflection and Growth: Mid-Career Bolashak Scholars’ Personal and Professional Development at the University of Illinois // ALISE Proceedings. 2025. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2025.2054
Del Sordi A. Sponsoring Student Mobility for Development and Authoritarian Stability: Kazakhstan’s Bolashak Programme // Globalizations. 2018. Vol. 15, No. 2. P. 215–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2017.1403780
Jonbekova D., Kim T., Kerimkulova S., Ruby A., Sparks J. Employment of International Education Graduates: Issues of Economy and Resistance to Change // Higher Education Quarterly. 2021. Vol. 75, No. 4. P. 618–633. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12321
Zainiyeva L.Y., Abzhapparova A.A. Strengthening National Capacity in the Field of Youth Policy in Kazakhstan. Vestnik KazNPU. Seriya politologii i sotsiologii [Bulletin of KazNPU. Series of Political Science and Sociology], (4). https://doi.org/10.51889/2020-4.1728-5461.15
Saling K.S. The Valuable Coordination of Sponsored International Education in a Modern Developmental State // Higher Education. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-025-01542-9
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Saltanat Yessetova, Bakytzhan Begasilov, Tair Imangaziyev, Madina Konarbayeva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
How to Cite
