Kazakhstan, Singapore could collaborate on English language teaching - expert

"In the President's Address to the Nation on education sphere, he has very precisely and rightly articulated the role of education for economic growth in both diversifying and deepening economic opportunities for the citizens of Kazakhstan. Education must not just focus on knowledge acquisition but also emphasize 21st century skills development such as critical thinking, creativity, problem solving as well as applying knowledge to novel situations and creating new knowledge. If the education system is able to transform itself in the manner the President Nazarbayev has described Kazakh students will be well-positioned to play leading roles in the global arena," Mr. Thiruman said.

In his words, President Nazarbayev has pinpointed English as the language of future growth in almost all economic and technological sectors.

"English is widely-spoken the world over and is no longer just the language of the British or the Americans. It is a global language with many variants. Kazakhstan with its close ties with Singapore could collaborate with each other on English language teaching and learning models that might be better suited for the needs and aspirations of Kazakhstan, than the traditional routes of just learning from native English-speaking countries," he added.