Students of S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University won prizes at academic competitions held by L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana) and Ablay Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages (Almaty).

Students of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology took part in the International Academic Competition for students from CIS countries dedicated to the Year of Kazakhstan People's Assembly.

The First International Academic Competition for students majoring in non-linguistic programs entitled “Intercultural Exchange and Tolerance in Contemporary Society: Challenges, Prospects and Solutions” took place at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana).

The competition was held in three sections: Foreign Languages, Regional Studies and International Relations.

Dauren Rakhmanov, a 3rd-year undergraduate student majoring in Agronomy, showed a great result and won the second prize in the Regional Studies category. The competition included 2 rounds. In round 1, all participants had to write an essay. The task for round 2 was to make a presentation entitled “Multicultural Society and Tolerance in Contemporary Society: Challenges, Prospects and Solutions”. Dauren Rakhmanov says that participation in such competitions helps students improve their knowledge, learn how to use it in practice, and develop creative thinking skills. “An academic competition is a tough test, both for students and their teachers. Participants have to demonstrate high level of knowledge, creativity and, above all, motivation, there has to be a real will-to-win spirit,” says Dauren.

“This competition was also a good test of the quality of educational services provided by the University. It was a good opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices with colleagues from other universities,” says the team leader, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology Zhastlek Uakhitov.

The panel of judges included academic staff members from L.N. Gumilyov ENU, as well as Jonathan Raspe, a representative of the German Embassy in Kazakhstan, Scott Norris, Deputy Director of Working Partners Consortium (USA), and John Scacco, Regional Director of English Language Programs in Central Asia, the US Embassy in Kazakhstan.

Students of the Faculty of Humanities and Education represented their University at another large-scale academic competition - National Academic Competition in Foreign Languages held at Ablay Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages. The PSU team consisted of 4 students of the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation Studies.

Zhansaya Kanat, a 3rd-year student majoring in Translation Studies, won the third prize in the English language competition. The chairman of the jury praised the essay written by Igor Demikhov, a 3rd-year undergraduate student majoring in Foreign Philology. Igor won the third prize in the Foreign Philology (German) section.

According to the team leader, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Kamar Karimova, participation in this competition is a unique chance to prove that the level of training at our University complies with the highest standards, which helps our students become highly-qualified and competitive specialists. “Nowadays, great attention is paid to the development of education in our country; therefore, supporting young talents is among the main priorities,” says Kamar Karimova.

All winners and participants of both competitions received diplomas and gifts. Students gained valuable experience, had a great time, and made new friends with students from other regions of Kazakhstan and other countries.