The new academic year in Kazakhstan has begun for pensioners as well. They can join the ‘Silver University’ program, which helps retirees to acquire new knowledge and skills in a variety of areas, from psychology and IT to linguistics and gardening. The program is quite popular. Thus, last year, there were 150 pensioners undergoing training under this project at the Eurasian National University, and this year, the number of applications has doubled.
“Language classes are the most popular among our students. Pensioners studied English, Turkish and Kazakh. The latter was learned through songs. That is, it is not just a stepwise process of learning the Kazakh language. Experienced tutors strive to come up with interesting programs, considering the age of the Silver University students. We involved a professional academic staff of our university that consists of over 40 teachers. Native-speaking professors were invited, too,” said Assem Ilyassova, Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies and Additional Education at the Eurasian National University.
The courses were designed based on the wishes of the elderly. The duration of studies is about four months.
“We prepared a timetable of the educational programs offered under this project. Pensioners can enroll in wellness, language or IT courses in accordance with their preferences. They can choose a convenient time to attend classes depending on their free time. They will also receive certificates upon completion of the training. However, in order to make a project like Silver University bigger with the active involvement of a large number of seniors, more work needs to be done on its popularization,” Ilyassova added.
The ‘Silver University’ program was developed in accordance with the concept of continuing learning. Training for pensioners is provided free of charge.
