Coventry University Kazakhstan marked the next stage of its expansion on September 21 with a capsule-laying ceremony for new facilities in Astana, adding to a growing network of British educational institutions operating in the country.
Lord John Alderdice, the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, said the project represented more than the construction of another university building.
“Today we are not simply marking the construction of a new building. We are investing in people, in knowledge, and in the future of Kazakhstan.”
Lord John Alderdice, the UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, speaks at the capsule-laying ceremony for Coventry University Kazakhstan’s new campus in Astana. Image: Coventry University Kazakhstan
Alderdice has served as the UK’s Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia since January 2025. He is also a member of the House of Lords and previously served as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Coventry University Kazakhstan has grown rapidly since opening in September 2024. Alderdice said its first intake numbered 95 students. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education now reports more than 850 students. Alderdice said applications were coming from neighboring countries as well as Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, placed Coventry’s development within the country’s broader effort to invest in human capital and build skills relevant to Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian region.
Pointing to Kazakhstan’s natural resources, critical minerals, nuclear energy and agriculture, Nurbek emphasized that realizing their economic potential depends on developing the people and expertise needed to create greater value from them.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, speaks at the capsule-laying ceremony for Coventry University Kazakhstan’s new campus in Astana. Image: Coventry University Kazakhstan
The expansion comes as Kazakhstan develops an increasingly international education sector, bringing foreign universities and schools into the country while seeking to attract students from across Central Asia.
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Alibek Bakayev, placed Coventry’s expansion within the broader development of educational ties between Kazakhstan and Britain, linking it to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s emphasis on education.
Bakayev explained that President Tokayev has made it clear that education is the foundation of the national economy and the country’s future, and that Kazakhstan must not only learn from the world but also bring the world’s best knowledge and practices to the country.
He cited Coventry, Cardiff, De Montfort and Heriot-Watt universities, together with Ardingly and Charterhouse, as part of a growing education bridge between the two countries.
The growing international education presence is also extending Kazakhstan’s reach beyond its domestic market. Coventry’s applications from neighboring countries provide one indication of that regional pull.
Education Takes Larger Role in UK-Kazakhstan Relations
Bakayev broadened the point to the overall relationship between Astana and London.
He described education as one of the foundations of bilateral relations and pointed to the Kazakhstan-UK Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, saying it gives the relationship greater institutional depth across politics, trade, investment, education and people-to-people ties.
Bakayev said the next task was to turn commitments into practical results. He also referred to efforts with British Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sally Axworthy to strengthen bilateral institutions and high-level dialogue.
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Alibek Bakayev, speaks at the capsule-laying ceremony for Coventry University Kazakhstan’s new campus in Astana. Image: Coventry University Kazakhstan
Other speakers included Coventry University Group Vice-Chancellor John Latham and Coventry University Kazakhstan President and Vice-Chancellor Miras Daulenov.
Latham has led Coventry University since 2014 and also serves as a non-executive board member of the UK Department for Business and Trade.
The day also highlighted the spread of British education beyond universities. Following the Coventry ceremony, the delegation visited Ardingly Astana, where the program included a traditional Kazakh welcome, addresses by school and government representatives, a campus tour and a reading session with younger pupils.
For Coventry University Kazakhstan, the new facilities represent another stage in a project that has already expanded substantially since its first student intake. For Kazakhstan, the development adds to a growing concentration of international educational institutions and strengthens its position as a center for international education in Central Asia.
