OREANDA-NEWS. June 24, 2013. Agreement on cooperation in the field of education between Nazarbayev University and Microsoft Corporation has been signed at Nazarbayev University. Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Yerbol Orynbayev and President of Microsoft International Jean-Philippe Courtois attended the signing ceremony.

The document is aimed at further enhancing cooperation in the field of training teachers, providing access for the students of Nazarbayev University to electronic resources, improving graduates’ employment, developing innovative education and research.

One of the initiatives planned in the framework of the agreement is the launch of the program Microsoft DreamSpark. This will provide access to online courses and Microsoft library, which will give the opportunity to effectively prepare students for the job market. Microsoft DreamSpark will allow students to use design and programming applications for free. It will promote the development of scientific activities in areas such as mathematics, engineering, and information technology.

"Nazarbayev University is one of the leading universities in the country that pays attention to education in the field of information technology. We have worked closely with the university since its foundation in 2010, and today our joint activity significantly expanded. The agreement on cooperation in the field of education will allow students and teachers to use advanced IT-technologies and help develop innovations in Kazakhstan," said Martin Quirke, general manager of Microsoft Kazakhstan.

Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Orynbayev noted the importance of the signed document and stressed that "President Nazarbayev has set the strategic task of forming intellectual innovation cluster at Nazarbayev University.