A CEREMONIAL OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE TURKISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT WAS HELD AT THE ABAI KAZAKH NATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

On 7 April 2026, a grand opening ceremony for a specially equipped Turkish language lecture theatre was held in Building No. 10 at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University. The event was attended by Tuba Alan Özdenfeder, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Almaty, Shükür Köse, Head of the Education Attaché’s Office at the Consulate; Aigul Iskakova, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Internationalisation at the University; Bayan Sapargalieva, Director of the Department of International Cooperation; Dean of the Faculty of World Languages, Edilbay Ospanov; Head of the Department of Oriental Philology and Translation, Kulsin Abdrakhmanova; Professor A. Zhumabekova; Turkish language lecturers E.Z. Esbosynov, G. Satbay, A. Abuova, D. Ashimova, N. Kospaganbetova, as well as guest lecturer and volunteer on the teaching exchange programme, PhD Zhennet Altundash.

In her congratulatory speech, Tuba Alan Özdenfeder, the Turkish Consul General in Almaty, noted that the lecture theatre had been named after Karamanoglu Mehmet Bey, a statesman of the Turkish people. Shükür Köse, Head of the Education Attaché’s Office at the Turkish Consulate General in Almaty, emphasised that the Turkish language classroom was the result of joint efforts by the Turkish Consulate General in Almaty, the Turkish Education Attaché’s Office and the administration of the Faculty of World Languages at Abai University. In her congratulatory speech, Vice-Rector Aigul Iskakova expressed her gratitude to the department’s administration and the Turkish language lecturers. In his address, Dean of the Faculty Edilbay Ospanov highlighted the importance of teaching the Turkish language within the field of education.

The speakers noted that, in the context of international relations, Turkey and Kazakhstan are major strategic partners, and that humanitarian cooperation between the two countries is steadily developing. It was emphasised that this cooperation is clearly evident in the various forms and areas of agreements between higher education institutions. Particular attention was drawn to the fact that cooperation between Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University and Turkish higher education institutions takes the form of academic mobility programmes, exchanges of expertise among academic staff, and the organisation of international conferences and seminars. Following the opening ceremony, the Head of Department, Kulsin Abdrakhmanova, PhD in Philology, presented letters of appreciation to Tuba Alan Özdenfedekar,

Consul General of Turkey in Almaty, and Şükür Köse, Head of the Education Attaché’s Office. To round off the event, a small reception was held, followed by a concert programme performed by third-year students from the ‘Teacher of Oriental and English Languages’ course. Dressed in Kazakh and Turkish national costumes, the students sang songs and recited poems in Kazakh and Turkish. The Turkish table was prepared by Marzhan Akhmetova, Aisholpan Seydilda and Akbota Torqys. Musical performances were given by Zhibek Karlova, Kamarsulu Eskali, Lagyl Bolat and Balnur Zhaksybay. The ceremony concluded with a performance of the song ‘Omir – Meyram’ by the choir of students from Group 301 of the ‘Teacher of Oriental and English Languages’ programme.