First students of the Division for Representatives of Kazakh Diaspora Living Abroad, Repatriates and Foreign Citizens at the Foundation Faculty of S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University have completed a full course of study and are now ready to take the CTA (Complex Testing of Applicants) and become university students.

The Division for Representatives of Kazakh Diaspora Living Abroad, Repatriates and Foreign Citizens was established this year. Its main objective is preparing prospective students for entering higher education institutions in Kazakhstan and helping international students adapt to life in our country.

In October 2014, PSU received 50 students from other countries (China, Mongolia and Uzbekistan). The University has created favorable conditions for them to get high-quality education: all courses were taught by the best lecturers of PSU and teachers of city schools with extensive experience in teaching, trial CTA tests were held on a weekly basis, and there were also additional free courses in Kazakh, Russian and English.

However, not only did these students prepare for the CTA, but also took an active part in the social life of the University. 32 of them were members of sport clubs (basketball, boxing, skiing, and track-and-field athletics), they represented the University at various competitions. 4 students attended amateur-talent groups at the Student Philharmonic. Some of them took part in the Studenttik Omir event held on the International Day of Students and 2014 Talanttar Sayisi held by the Student Council of the Student House. Students of the Division attended meetings with representatives of the Migration Police Office and medical staff, as well as lectures on the history of Kazakhstan and the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, etc.

Now when the academic year is over, students share their impressions and express sincere gratitude to the University administration for the opportunity to study in their historic homeland. They say that all conditions have been created for them to study successfully.

Ayzhan Kuderina, Dean of the Foundation Faculty, thanked the University administration for helping repatriates who decided to come back to their homeland. “Our students lived in the Student House, got hot meals and assistance in nostrification of their education documents – everything absolutely free of charge. They took part in celebration of state and national holidays and were among active participants of the University life. We hope that our students will successfully pass the CTA and enter higher education institutions in Kazakhstan,” she said.