On November 14, an Integrity shop was opened at the KazGUU. After almost a month of nonstop work of the shop, Alisher Bodaubekov, Head of the Department of Student Affairs of KazGUU, shared its successes with us.
The concept of the store – the buyer independently takes the products and puts cash in the box of honesty in order to buy goods. Nobody controls the student. He can deceive, and can leave more money.
I: Alisher, tell me, whose idea was to create the Integrity shop?
A: In Kazakhstan, this practice has been conducted for a long time among secondary school education. The first was the “Bilim innovation” school, the former KTL. Parents actively support this educational process. Now other universities are also getting interested. The same shops have already been opened in Petropavlovsk, Karagandy, Shymkent, and even a whole supermarket in Kyzylorda.
On November 13, the head of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption took the initiative, KazGUU and Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan were the first to pick up the idea. On November 14, we already had the shop. It is important for us. Integrity shop is about self-cabout first of all. Nobody takes you off, no one asks for statements, you can steal money from the cash register, but at the same time, you can leave more money, because all the money goes to charity («Zhan Shuaq», a charitable student organization established on September 5, 2011. Students are united, always ready to help all who need it in here. The motto of this association is: “Do good to others for good!”) We keep accounting records for students and lately we see an excess of profits. It certainly pleases. We see the “invisible hand” process when students motivate and educate each other.
I: Where do sources come from for the purchase of goods and who conducts the audit?
A: These are the duties of the University Endowment Fund (in 2016, KazGUU Endowment Corporate Fund was established to attract additional resources that provide funding for long-term support for scientific, social and infrastructure programs and projects of the university).
I: What was the reaction of the teaching staff and the students?
A: Similarly positive. There is an established practice: if you gather students and tell them something, they will automatically accept it. For instance, saying that corruption is evil, the student will consider it the same. In order to develop some kind of skill or understand something, person needs to be involved in the internal process. Then the level of perception really rises. At the university, we try to create similar projects and involve students in order to make student understand the value. What we want to develop in our students is justice, honesty, responsibility. In Kazakh, there is a word «adaldyq», «adal bolu». Our students are future managers, accountants, marketers, judges, prosecutors, lawyers and police. Statistics show that alumni of social and humanitarian spheres come to countries’ leadership. Donald Trump from the business ranks, Barack Obama from the legal environment. That is, the future of our country is in the hands of our alumni.
I: What are the next projects coming up?
A: In accordance with the Five social initiatives of the President, a new hostel has been built. For minimal investment, homely atmosphere has been created for the students. In addition, one of the hotel functions – is a cleaning staff. All of that is for 15,000 tenge / month. Another project is a fitness center. When we were building the gym, we wanted to popularize the idea of a healthy lifestyle. Instagram and selfie are trending now. What sounds more tempting – physical education or fitness center? Therefore, we have installed a huge mirror in which you would want to take a picture, post it on Instagram and share with friends. The next event, promoting a healthy lifestyle – Ice party. Students of KazGUU reached an agreement with the management of the Alau ice complex, there are races for 500 people now. We are trying to approach everything from a modernized point of view. Let`s take for example, the subject of the history of Kazakhstan. At the same time when students learn about Silk Way, they travel to all these historical places: Taraz, Shymkent, etc. They see everything alive, listen to the guides and understand how our country was born. After the trips, they look from completely different angle. At the end of the semester, students independently stage a theatrical production. Our main task is to attract students to social creative activity. Our university also has created a court of honor. If any incident is committed, the security service draws up a memo, the «defendant» writes an explanatory note, a judge is appointed from among the students, a team of prosecutors, lawyers and investigators are recruited. Punishment can go as far as deduction, depending on the severity of the «crime», the degree of repentance of the defendant. Another of our goals is to fill the brains and hearts of our charges within 4 years. The dean’s office is responsible for the academic part, and the student fills his heart and soul himself, we only guide him on the right path. The philosophy of KazGUU University follows al-Farabi’s quotation: «Tarbiesiz bergen bilim – adamzattyq qas zhauy» («Knowledge obtained without education is the greatest enemy of humanity»).
Anzhela Kaliyeva
