Kazakhstan for me is “a golden cradle", Lyudmila Grivennaya

Lyudmila Grivennaya is Head of the Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan of M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University (NKSU). She managed to establish an effective system of work of the new structure, which has no analogues in the country. Consistency, immensity, strategic forecasting, skillful planning, ability to work with the team and to establish broad external relations are the distinctive features of Lyudmila Alexandrovna's activity. The experience of the Department “Assembly of people of Kazakhstan” of M. Kozybayev NKSU. The university received a high appraisal at the Republican level and is replicated in other departments, there are 40 of them in Kazakhstan. Lyudmila Aleksandrovna has the authority with colleagues. She was appointed Deputy Chairman of APK departments Association of Kazakhstan universities, created on the basis of L. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

We asked Lyudmila Alexandrovna to tell about the activities of the Department.

—Could you tell us about yourself, your activities?

—I graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of K.D. Ushinsky Petropavlovsk Pedagogical University majoring in “History and Pedagogy”.  During the studies at the Institute I was elected as a Komsomol member of the faculty and was a Lenin scholar. After graduation, I worked in secondary education system as a Deputy Director for Education Affairs at school No. 21 of Petropavlovsk, History teacher of “BEST” gymnasium, where I was awarded the highest category. Working with gifted students, I paid great attention to the development of their creative potential through preparation for the Subject Olympiad in History, so that students have repeatedly become winners of the Republican Subject Olympiads. From 2005 to 2014 I worked at the Department of History of Kazakhstan and Social and Humanitarian disciplines of my native university.  In 2011 I was awarded the title of Associate Professor with a major in “History”.

From 2009 to 2013 I was Deputy Dean of the Faculty of History and Law for Science and Quality Management System. During that time, a system of research work with students was created at the faculty, new directions and forms of work were introduced, a communication link of the university with public organizations and ethno-cultural associations of the region was established as well. Methodical assistance was provided to the Secretariat of the North Kazakhstan Assembly of people of Kazakhstan, scientific and expert group at NKAPK, students were involved in the work of ethno-cultural associations.

In April 2014 I was appointed a head of the Department of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan.

— What is the main objective of the Department of APK? What events are held?

— A special mission in the preservation of social harmony, unity, civil identity and Kazakhstan patriotism among young people is given to the departments of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan.

In order to include the education system in the work on further consolidation, preservation of peace and harmony in the Kazakh society since June 2013 in a number of universities of our Republic Departments of the APK were open. The main objectives of the departments are: development of theoretical and methodological support of teaching disciplines related to the ethno-political sphere, development of the ethnopolitical research methodology, scientific and methodological support of the university and close cooperation with all structural units of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan.

L. Gumilyov University became the first university where the Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan was opened.

In order to develop general recommendations, exchange of experience and coordination of activities on the basis of L. Gumilyov ENU on 22 October 2014 the Republican Association of APK departments of Kazakhstan universities was established. The Organizing Committee of the Association submits the issues about the status, state, methodical support of departments to Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan for consideration.

Departments were created in higher education institutions of our Republic on the recommendation of the President of our country, Chairman of Assembly N. Nazarbayev, when he expressed the idea of “the need to introduce new programmes aimed at spiritual unity and continuity of generations, the formation of a tolerant national identity and new Kazakhstan patriotism in the educational process of educational organizations”.  

The data of the Department fundamentally differs from the content and systems of work of regular teaching departments of the university. There are no specially developed instructions and regulations that would determine its status, place in the structure of the university, the number of staff units, academic disciplines, the mechanism and direction of work, the register of normative documentation for them.

On the one hand, it has created a wide variation in their activities, on the other – difficulties in organization of their work. Depending on the conditions created in the university and the experience of its leaders, each Department has its own uniqueness.

Analysis of the work of APK departments clearly demonstrates that a number of them do not have independence and represent a symbiosis with other related departments – history of Kazakhstan, philosophy, social and humanitarian disciplines, multilingualism and accordingly, they are included in the structure of the relevant faculties and institutes. This deprives them of independence and subordinates the goals and objectives of these structures of the university, being the part of it. Others, who have independence, are not provided with staff units and exist on a voluntary basis. Third ones have a small staff, but do not have a system of work.

Initially, the Department of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan of our university collected information on the sphere of scientific interests of the teaching staff of the university. On the basis of it Scientific and Methodological Association of the Department (SMAD) was created, where representatives of external organizations were invited too.

 The advantage of Scientific and Methodological Association is in interdisciplinary cooperation and connection of intellectual potential of the faculty of the university with the practical activities of state, educational institutions and ethno-cultural associations of the regional Assembly of people of Kazakhstan in the implementation of the state ethnic policy. 

The Association of students of different specialties passed through the creation of the Student Scientific Society (SSS), which was supplemented by the passing industrial practices of students at the Department of APK.

The main principles of functioning of these associations are voluntary and professional interest.

Taking into account the specifics of the university, the main directions of the Department of APK are academic, scientific and educational in close cooperation with external organizations.

Those activities carried out by the Department of APK were in demand today in the framework of the programme article of the President of Kazakhstan “The Course towards Future: Modernization of Public Consciousness”. Systematic work allowed us to be in the forefront of the implementation of the tasks.

From the first days of the Department’s work, focus on creating a system of interaction with various structural units of the university and the development of close ties with external organizations was made.

The Department developed elective courses, such as: “Kazakhstan model of ethnic and religious harmony”, “Values of Mangilik El”, “Fundamentals of mediation”, “Religion in modern society” and others. These disciplines are designed to form students' ideas about the processes and phenomena in the territory of Kazakhstan in the historical, cultural and socio-political aspects, which allows the younger generation to better navigate the modern world, to maintain tolerance, spiritual harmony in Kazakhstan's society, to actively participate in the process of consolidation of the people of Kazakhstan and the formation of civil society. In addition, the Department carries out the monitoring in order to develop recommendations on the implementation of the existing disciplines of individual paragraphs and topics related to ethnic policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

            One of the basic directions of scientific and methodical association of the Department are: development and publication of scientific and methodical manuals. Teaching aids are developed by members of the scientific and methodological association in the relevant areas of the Assembly during the academic year: Ethnopedagogics, Ethnodemography, Religious studies, Ethnopoetics, Tourism, Mediation, Civil Identity, Charity, Patriotic education. According to the work plan of the Department, various scientific and methodological activities are carried out. The development of teaching aids, monographs, information and analytical reference books, collections of scientific articles and creative works allow to replenish the Library Fund of the university with its own literature and to expand the information field in the study of issues related to ethnic policy. This creates conditions for teachers and students to use a wide range of materials in educational, scientific and educational work. At the same time, the publication of manuals by members of the Scientific and Methodological Association of the Department of APK contributes to the popularization of their scientific research and the growth of their authority outside the university. The Department of APK conducts systematic work on introduction of scientific and methodological materials in academic process of university and activities of external organizations.

The Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan became the initiator and active participant of international, national and regional scientific conferences.

Development of individual themes and public speeches on topical issues of ethnic policy are one of the important areas of work of the scientific and methodological association, where members of scientific and methodological association of the Department of APK are at the forefront of scientific events at all levels.

Department of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan is the initiator and active participant of international and national and regional scientific conferences. For example, the regional scientific and practical conference “Native Land” has become traditional at university since 2010. The Department of APK provides organizational and methodological support in its regular conduct.

 The Department holds scientific-methodical seminars and webinars for heads and members of ethno-cultural associations of the region, representatives of educational, state institutions of the city and region, teachers, employees and student activists of the university every month.

          Development of seminars is conducted by members of the scientific and methodological association of the Department with the involvement of external experts. The target audience is determined in advance, recommendations are made. The practical significance of the seminars is that they are followed by active practical work.

          Monitoring is a very important direction in the work of the Department. Monitoring allows you to determine the level and extent of the state of a problem and ways to solve them. After that, corrective actions are taken to improve the situation on the basis of the recommendations.

The Department develops materials for a sociological survey. Then a questionnaire is drawn up, which is offered for filling in a certain sample to respondents. After that, the obtained results are processed, on the basis of which the results are summed up. And at the end, the report is made and the data are posted on the university website.

Trainings, coaching, training seminars are held on conflict prevention, psychological counseling office works too.

Training seminars are held, manuals are developed, charity events (visits to orphanages, nursing homes, assistance to veterans, and organization of concerts in nursing homes, meetings with graduates involved in charity) are implemented in the direction of charity work.

All events are developed on current topics and in a new format.

The project “Living library» is practiced, where interesting people are “Living books». There is no formalism in it, it allows young people to communicate more freely and meet interesting people.

Meetings with poets and creative people in the form of literary cafes and evenings are also held in an informal atmosphere.

The activity of the Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan is aimed at stimulating the development of skills of academic, scientific and educational work of students of all specialties in ethnodemography, ethnopedagogics, musical culture, history of formation of multiethnic Kazakhstan, the role of the President in the preservation of harmonious interethnic relations, the legislative basis of APK, cultural and leisure work, preparation of publications, folklore, national sports.

The use of special knowledge by students during educational activities significantly improves the quality of their training as specialists.

In addition to solving internal problems of university, the Department cooperates with state and public organizations of Petropavlovsk and the region.

One of the advantages of the Department of APK is close cooperation with external organizations of national, regional and city levels. Employees and members of the scientific and methodological association of the Department actively participate in events at various levels.

—Could you tell about cooperation with ethno-cultural associations?

—We cooperate with state and public organizations of the city and region: Secretariat and ethno-cultural associations of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan, «Kogamdyk kelisim» KSU, Akimat of North Kazakhstan region KSU, with a variety of regional offices, supervising their industries, these are education, culture, religion, internal policy, law enforcement agencies, law enforcement agencies, the media.

The Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan has established close ties with the Republican scientific, higher educational institutions, public organizations, structural ranks of APK: Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Scientific and Expert Council and Secretariat of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan, Republican Association of APK departments of Kazakhstan universities, “Kogamdyk kelisim” RSU under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan and Russian universities, research centres, which allows to develop scientific potential and improve the system of work. Department of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan has external relations at both regional and national levels and they tend to expand, they became sustainable with individual organizations and institutions. This interaction contributes to the development of activities of the Department and connection of science and practice.

One of the tasks of the Department is to promote the activities of APK in the media, which is planned and systematic. The activity of the Department is designed to promote the popularization of scientific developments related to the activities of APK, wide public relations.

— What is the role of your Department in maintaining inter-ethnic consent?

— Formation of Kazakhstan's identity on the principle of citizenship and the priority of national values over ethnic models of behavior. This is a multi-faceted work designed for a long time. This is the business of all structural units of university, external organizations with which university should interact in close contact.

In this regard, Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan is a serious scientific and methodological platform, a kind of “brain” centre. Time has shown that the departments of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan in the universities of our country allow to carry out multi-vector systematic work, which ensures the implementation of state policy documents on the formation of Kazakhstan patriotism and civil identity, social harmony among young people.

At present, Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan is a trend in the activities of university, a necessary link, it is a new promising structure with high scientific potential in the implementation of intercultural dialogue, preservation of interethnic harmony and further consolidation of the people of Kazakhstan. It is a “golden bridge through which the involvement of students in the activities of the Assembly of people of Kazakhstan is held”.

Today, the departments of APK of Kazakhstan universities are faced with the task of filling the content of their activities in the scale of the university, development of mechanisms for the implementation of tasks, close cooperation with each other, public authorities, scientific and educational institutions, public organizations, ethno-cultural associations and mass media.

— What is the most precious thing for you?

— The most precious for me is the human being, regardless of his status. Each of us is a unique world that teaches something. To a large extent, I could call many people whom I met in life my teachers and I learned professionalism, wisdom, kindness, courage, patience, tact, optimism and humour from them.

My main achievement in life is that I can realize myself as a professional and a person. I am proud of the Department of Assembly of people of Kazakhstan of our university, where I managed to create an effective model of work.

I feel great pleasure that I can be useful to people who surround me, my country, society.

— What does Kazakhstan mean to you?

— Kazakhstan for me is my “golden cradle”, which has grown me up, brought up in me a high degree of responsibility, diligence, willpower, the desire to be above “prose of life”, never give up, do not stop on the results achieved, constantly improve. It was the Kazakh land that taught me to appreciate and respect the work of other people, to be friendly and grateful to the people around me.

— Thank you for the interview!

Use of materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires written or oral permission from the Board of Editors or the author. Hyperlink to Assembly of People of Kazakstan portal is necessary. All rights reserved by the Law RK “On author’s rights and related rights”. To request authorization email to assemblykz.2016@gmail.com.

Dana TUGAMBEKOVA

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