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of the Academy

During his official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the President of the Italian Republic, H.E. Sergio Mattarella, delivered a special lecture at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, addressing faculty members, doctoral students, and master’s students.

At the opening of the meeting, Mr. Darkhan Zhazykbay, Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized that it was a great honor to welcome the distinguished guest to the Academy of Public Administration. He also highlighted that the bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Italy have been steadily developing in the spirit of mutual friendship, respect, and trustful dialogue established by the Heads of State.

“It is worth noting that successful cooperation has also been established in the field of education between the two countries. In 2016, the Academy and Italy’s Bocconi University launched a joint dual-degree program. In 2024, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the National School of Administration (SNA). One of the promising areas of this cooperation is the exchange of experience in strengthening civil service institutions, effectively applying artificial intelligence, and introducing modern HR approaches,” said the Chairman of the Agency.

In his speech, H.E. Sergio Mattarella addressed key issues in modern public administration, including the human-centered approach, digital transformation, continuous professional development of civil servants, and the use of artificial intelligence.

“Your Academy, like the Italian National School of Administration, is called to play a central role in this field, which is particularly complex since these institutions bear the ‘upstream’ responsibility of training and guiding the personnel who will be tasked with managing these processes. Investment in the training of civil service personnel, in turn, is an investment in the future of the country,” noted the President of Italy.

The distinguished guest’s lecture concluded with an open dialogue and a productive exchange of views.

Academy Rector Azamat Zholmanov conducted a working visit to the Kyzylorda Regional Branch. During the visit, he familiarized himself with the branch’s activities and discussed the training of civil servants, professional development, and work in the area of digital governance. Special attention was also given to new projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing the professional growth of regional civil servants.
This meeting will strengthen cooperation between the Academy and the regional branch, contributing to the improvement of education quality in the field of public administration. Developing the potential of civil servants is a key guarantee of the country’s sustainable development.

On the last Sunday of September, our country celebrates Labor Day. This is a special day of honoring professionals who have made a significant contribution to the nation’s development and achieved success through their dedicated work.

Vice-Rector Ulan Bekish congratulated 17 employees on this holiday, expressing gratitude for their outstanding efforts and contributions. The Academy always highly values the honest service of working people.

On the eve of this holiday, specialists of the Infrastructure Services Department and the “House for Young Civil Servants,” as well as staff of the Academy’s regional branches, received Certificates of Honor and Letters of Appreciation from Rector.

As the Head of State has emphasized, those who approach their work with integrity and a strong sense of responsibility will always receive well-deserved recognition. We congratulate the Academy’s hardworking employees on their awards and wish you success and prosperity in your work!

At the initiative of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs, the Republican Forum of Ethics Commissioners was held in the Kyzylorda Region.

The event was attended by Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs Darkhan Zhazykbay, Akim of Kyzylorda Region Nurlybek Nalibayev, ethics commissioners from central and local executive bodies, civil servants, as well as veterans of the civil service.

The main goal of the forum was to promote the principles of “Fair Kazakhstan” and “Adal Azamat” (Honest Citizen), launched at the initiative of the Head of State, and to support the strengthening of legality and law and order among civil servants. In this regard, particular responsibility lies with the ethics commissioners.

In his opening remarks, Darkhan Zhazykbay recalled the words of the Head of State, voiced in the Address to the Nation: “Law and Order” is the unshakable foundation of our statehood. To embed this principle in society, all relevant agencies must develop a shared vision and a common position.”

He emphasized that upholding the principle of zero tolerance for any violations or unlawful acts is of utmost importance. Therefore, the work of state bodies in this direction must be fully supported. Only then will public consciousness develop intolerance toward violations, cruelty, and violence, and society will gain immunity against any antisocial phenomena. He also stressed that the implementation of the “Law and Order” principle must start with civil servants themselves.

According to the Chairman of the Agency, a new Prevention Service is planned to be established within state bodies. Its key tasks will include taking measures to prevent corruption, conducting internal monitoring of the quality of public services, and coordinating the activities of subordinate organizations, including compliance services.

One of the most important changes to note is the institutional reform of disciplinary investigation procedures. In this regard, HR departments will focus on their core function – staff development and implementing effective HR policies – while the authority to organize and conduct disciplinary investigations will be fully transferred to the Prevention Service.

These changes are reflected in a new draft law, under which ethics commissioners will play a leading role in its implementation. As representatives of the Agency, they will be seconded to government bodies.

The forum also discussed the updated text of the civil service oath. Its main aim is to define the civil servant not only as a bearer of legal duties but also of moral responsibilities as a representative of the state.

Darkhan Zhazykbay highlighted that embedding the principles of “Fair Kazakhstan – Adal Azamat” into the work of the public administration system is a strategically important task. Civil servants should be guided by these principles and actively promote their introduction into public consciousness. Special attention must be given to preventing violations related to gambling and the use of prohibited substances, as well as to fostering an anti-corruption culture based on honesty. Moreover, the preservation of family values remains a priority area.

It should be noted that in the first half of this year, 25 civil servants were dismissed from their positions for violating anti-corruption restrictions related to gambling, in accordance with legal requirements.

Forum participants exchanged views on strengthening the independence of ethics commissioners and on effective mechanisms for carrying out their assigned tasks.

As of today, 770 ethics commissioners are active in government bodies across the republic.

Today, the Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs, Darkhan Zhazykbay, delivered a motivational lecture for the master’s and doctoral students of the Academy.

The head of the Agency spoke to participants about effective public administration, the development of leadership within the civil service system, and improving the quality of human resource management. Special attention was given to the principles of ethics, transparency, and accountability.

During the lecture, master’s and doctoral students were introduced to the key directions of civil service digitalization outlined in the President’s Address to the Nation. In particular, the goals of transforming the country into a fully digital state, introducing artificial intelligence into management processes, developing the platform economy, and applying big data technologies were explained.

In addition, to strengthen the strategic approach to human resource management, part of the lecture was devoted to a modern reinterpretation of Max Weber’s ideas, James Perry’s theory of public service motivation, as well as the concepts of “New Public Management” and “Good Governance.”

The Academy’s students shared their suggestions on civil servant training and public service development, and received answers to their questions.

At the end of the meeting, Darkhan Medegaliuly encouraged master’s and doctoral students to take an active role in improving the civil service and emphasized his openness to new ideas and initiatives.

At the Academy of Public Administration, as part of “Development Day,” an intellectual quiz “QUQYQ QUIZ: Constitution and Elections” was held, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The event was organized by the Academy’s Center for Electoral Training in cooperation with the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Territorial Election Commission of Astana.

The purpose of the quiz was to enhance the legal literacy of civil servants, deepen knowledge of constitutional norms and electoral legislation, and foster civic responsibility and legal culture.

Seven teams of the Academy’s master’s students took part in the intellectual competition. Participants demonstrated their knowledge in rounds dedicated to the fundamentals of the Constitution, electoral law, situational problem-solving, and blitz questions.

According to representatives of the Academy’s Center for Electoral Training, such events not only contribute to strengthening the legal and professional competence of civil servants but also promote the Constitution, foster electoral culture, and enhance legal awareness.

Quiz results:

• 1st place – “HR-Qyrandary” (1st-year Master’s students in Human Resource Management)
• 2nd place – “Parasat” (1st-year Master’s students in Public Policy)
• 3rd place – “Quqyq Akademikteri” (Master’s students in Economics and Digital Public Administration)

The quiz became a landmark event dedicated to the Constitution’s anniversary and provided an impetus for the professional and civic development of civil servants.

As part of the traditional “Development Day” event, the Academy’s Institute of Management held the first session of the eighth season of the expert platform Economist+, covering economic, social, and scientific areas.

The theme of the meeting was “Scientific Research: Choosing the Right Direction and Content.” The event was attended by faculty, doctoral students, and master’s students of the Academy.

With an official welcoming address, Kuralay Sadykova, Director of the Institute of Management, emphasized the importance of systematic planning of scientific research, selecting effective methodology, providing practical recommendations to young researchers, and creating an environment for scientific networking among participants with common research interests.

Doctor of Economics Raushan Dulambayeva noted that the expert platform’s workshop format allows young scholars to jointly discuss various topics and develop shared scientific questions.

During the event, master’s and doctoral students formed working groups in the following areas:
– Digitalization and digital transformation;
– Regional development and the agro-industrial complex;
– Public administration and law;
– Budget, finance, and macroeconomics;
– HR and civil service;
– Social sector development.

In the future, the working groups will continue their scientific work and present new ideas within the chosen areas.

The Academy hosted an open lecture for master’s students of the MPP and MRD programs with the participation of the well-known historian and writer Radik Dzheksembayevich Temirgaliev, Chairman of the Board of the Public Association Kazakh Historical Society.

The theme of the meeting was “Spatial Development of Kazakhstan in Historical Retrospective.”

The lecture enabled master’s students to see how modern regional development resonates with the historical settlement of Kazakh tribes, and how the economic processes of the past laid the foundation for today’s territorial and economic connections.

For the participants, it was an opportunity to look at current challenges of regional development through the prism of centuries-old history and to understand that Kazakhstan’s future cannot be considered without a deep comprehension of its past.

Adopted in 1995 through a nationwide referendum, the Constitution laid a solid foundation for statehood and defined the path of development for independent Kazakhstan.

The Constitution is the guarantor of the rights and freedoms of every citizen and the cornerstone of democratic values.

In its work to improve public administration and train professional civil servants, the Academy of Public Administration adheres to the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

Over the past 30 years, the Constitution has become a symbol of national unity, stability, and progress.

We congratulate everyone on Constitution Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan!

Application deadline – September 15, 2025

The Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan announces a call for trainers to deliver retraining courses and professional development seminars for civil servants in the 2025–2026 academic year.

Seminar topics for which trainers are being recruited:

• Managerial decision-making
• Data-driven decision-making
• Practical analytics
• Design thinking and human-centered approaches
• Debureaucratization and improving the quality of public services
• Artificial intelligence in public administration
• Change management
• Regional sustainable development management
• Working with the E-Ötiniş system and citizen appeals
• Modern approaches to lawmaking and legal regulation
• Strategic planning and forecasting
• The lawmaking process
• Leadership and managerial behavior
• Digital hygiene in public service
• Digital transformation in public service
• Gender equality

Eligibility criteria:

1. A degree of Candidate/Doctor of Sciences, PhD, Doctor by profile, or Master’s degree, as well as at least 3 years of relevant practical and/or training experience.
2. Knowledge of the strategic and program documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan (assessed during the interview).
3. Proficiency in the state and Russian languages (English is an advantage).
4. Ability to use interactive teaching methods (assessed during the interview).
5. Availability of practice-oriented cases in the field of public administration, with an understanding of the specifics of civil service work.
6. Experience in scientific research in the field of public administration and civil service is desirable.
7. Recommendation letters are welcomed.

Applications, including a CV and supporting documents, should be sent to: d.beisembayeva@apa.kz

Deadline for submission – September 15, 2025

Join our team of professionals and contribute to the development of Kazakhstan’s public service!

On the official website of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve, the results of the third stage of selection, “Situational Task Solving”, held on August 16, 2025, have been published.

As part of this stage, each candidate was assigned a unique identification number to anonymize the data. The evaluation of the tasks was carried out by three sectoral experts representing public service, business, and academia. Each candidate’s final score was formed as the average of the assessments given by the three experts.

According to the approved selection procedure, 300 candidates with the highest results are admitted to the next stage:

up to 42 candidates in Economic and Financial Policy;
up to 48 candidates in Foreign Policy and Investment and Infrastructure Development, Industry, and Trade Policy (each);
up to 54 candidates in Agro-industrial Complex and Environmental Protection, Social Policy and Civil Society, and Digitalization (each).

In cases where several participants achieved equal results, the number of admitted candidates could be increased.

Thus, out of 679 candidates who took part in the “Situational Task Solving” stage, 309 candidates were admitted to the first competency assessment block, “Assessment Center.” The full list of candidates who advanced to the next stage is published on the official project website pkrezerv.gov.kz.

The passing scores by sectoral direction were:

Agro-industrial complex and environmental protection – 3.58 points
Foreign policy and investment – 3.75 points
Infrastructure development, industry, and trade policy – 3.92 points
Social policy and civil society – 3.75 points
Digitalization – 3.67 points
Economic and financial policy – 3.92 points

The first competency assessment block, “Assessment Center”, will take place from August 22 to 26, 2025, in Astana, at the Academy of Public Administration under the President. This stage is aimed at identifying and evaluating specific competencies of candidates through a set of behavioral indicators.

All candidates admitted to the first competency assessment block must select the date and time of participation in their personal account by 23:59 on August 21, 2025 (Astana time).

On the official website of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve, the list of candidates admitted to the third stage – “Situational Task Solving” – has been published.

In the second testing block, “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Numerical Information”, held on August 9–10, 2025, 2,597 admitted applicants participated.

According to the approved selection procedure, no more than 600 candidates (including no more than 100 in each sectoral direction) with the highest scores may advance to the third stage. In cases where several candidates achieved equal results, a larger number of applicants may be admitted to the next stage.

Thus, 683 candidates who achieved the best results have been admitted to the next stage, “Situational Task Solving.”

The passing scores by sectoral direction were:

Agro-industrial complex and environmental protection – 13 points

Foreign policy and investment – 16 points

Infrastructure development, industry, and trade policy – 20 points

Social policy, civil society – 18 points

Digitalization – 18 points

Economic and financial policy – 18 points

The full list of candidates admitted to the next stage is available on the official project website pkrezerv.gov.kz.

The “Situational Task Solving” stage will take place on August 16, 2025. This stage is aimed at assessing candidates’ ability to make managerial decisions by completing practical cases typical of public service.

All candidates admitted to the third stage must register in their personal account by 23:59 on August 15, 2025 (Astana time).

We remind participants that, in order to ensure transparency and fairness of the stage, a proctoring system is used. Non-compliance with the established requirements—including assistance from third parties, the use of remote access programs (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, DWService, etc.), disabling the camera and/or microphone, using smartphones, headphones, or other electronic transmitting/receiving devices, as well as copying tasks in any way—will result in annulment of the results.

More detailed requirements can be found in the instructions for completing the “Situational Task Solving” stage, available in the candidate’s personal account.

On the official website of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve, the list of candidates admitted to the next testing block, “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Numerical Information”, has been published.

In the first testing block, “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Textual Information”, which took place on August 2–3, 2025, 4,876 admitted applicants participated. The candidates were tested on their ability to analyze textual information.

The full list of those who advanced to the next stage is available on the official project website pkrezerv.gov.kz.

According to the selection procedure, 50% of the applicants from the total number of participants in the “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Textual Information” are admitted to the next testing block. In cases where several candidates achieved equal results, a larger number of participants may be admitted to the next block.

Thus, 2,677 candidates who achieved the best results have been admitted to the second testing block, “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Numerical Information.”

The passing scores by sector were:

Agro-industrial complex and environmental protection – 14 points

Foreign policy and investment – 17 points

Infrastructure development, industry, and trade policy – 16 points

Social policy, civil society – 14 points

Digitalization – 15 points

Economic and financial policy – 15 points

The second testing block will take place on August 9 of this year. It consists of 25 test questions designed to assess the candidate’s ability to work with numerical information presented in tables, charts, and graphs.

All candidates admitted to the “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Numerical Information” must select their testing time in their personal account by 23:59 on August 8 (Astana time).

We remind participants that, in order to ensure transparency and fairness of the testing procedure, a proctoring system is used. Non-compliance with established requirements—including assistance from third parties, use of remote access programs (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, DWService, etc.), disabling the camera and/or microphone, using smartphones, headphones, or other electronic transmitting/receiving devices, as well as copying test assignments in any way—will result in annulment of the results.

More detailed requirements are available in the instructions for taking the “Assessment of the Ability to Work with Numerical Information”, posted in the candidate’s personal account.