Zhanar Orynkanova, Head of the Center for Strategic Planning and Quality Management : Shakarim University at the Forefront of Asia-Pacific Higher Education

Seoul, Republic of Korea | November 4–6, 2025

The QS Higher Education Summit: Asia Pacific 2025, held at Korea University (Seoul), brought together more than 2,000 participants — university leaders, researchers, policymakers, and industry experts — from over 40 countries.

Organized by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the global authority in higher education rankings, the summit became a key platform for discussing the future of higher education, the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and new models of academic leadership and digital transformation.

A highlight of the summit was the announcement of the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026, where Shakarim University entered the Top 500 universities in Asia, ranking 493rd, and showing a 26-position improvement from the previous year.

This achievement reflects the growing presence of Kazakhstan’s regional universities within the global academic ecosystem.

Zhanar Orynkanova, Head of the Center for Strategic Planning and Quality Management, represented Shakarim University with a presentation on international positioning models for regional universities and the transformation of quality management systems in the digital era.

“Such summits go far beyond networking — they shape strategic thinking and teach universities to speak the same language as the global community.

For us, it’s not about imitation, but about understanding global trends and building our own development trajectory.

At Shakarim University, the quality management system has become part of the university’s philosophy — the philosophy of trust, efficiency, and open knowledge,”— noted Orynkanova.

Her participation opened new opportunities for enhancing quality assurance, joining international accreditation networks, and strengthening the university’s position within the QS Asia Network.