The ceremonial opening of the representative office of the Open University Malaysia International Center (OUMIC) — the international centre of one of Malaysia's leading universities — took place at Esil University.
As part of the event, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed, and an official opening ceremony was held with the participation of the President and Vice-Chancellor of Open University Malaysia, Professor Dato' Dr. Ahmad Izanee Awang, the Rector of Esil University, Professor Ayapbergen Taubayev, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mohd Adli Abdullah, as well as representatives of the senior management of both universities.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mohd Adli Abdullah, noted the significance of the signed agreement for both parties:
"Today's event marks the first instance of a Malaysian university establishing an international centre in Kazakhstan. This is truly a pioneering step in our educational cooperation. I wish to extend my warmest congratulations on this outstanding achievement. I am confident that the centre will contribute to strengthening Kazakhstan's role as an educational hub in Central Asia and to expanding Malaysia's international cooperation in the field of education."
Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Research, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Mohd Tajudin Bin Md Ninggal, added:
"As of today, OUM maintains partnerships with 13 universities worldwide. We see great potential for cooperation between Open University Malaysia and Esil University in the field of higher education, both for the population of Malaysia and for Kazakhstan. Furthermore, we are exploring the possibility of joint collaboration and the provision of professional programmes and short-term courses."
The Rector of Esil University, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor Ayapbergen Taubayev, emphasized:
"The signing of the agreement and the opening of the representative office represent a strategically significant step for Esil University, oriented first and foremost towards our students. The university consistently invests in their development, creating opportunities for obtaining high-quality international education, participation in joint research projects, and professional educational programmes."
Following the official speeches, the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony took place, and guests were introduced to a presentation of the new international centre's activities and the directions of its educational programmes.
The priority areas of cooperation will include project and risk management, labour protection and industrial safety, IT, artificial intelligence, data analysis, language training, accounting, and the oil and gas sector. Within the framework of the centre's activities, the implementation of the modern electronic Learning Management System (LMS) of Open University Malaysia is envisaged, aimed at strengthening the pedagogical infrastructure.
The centre is expected to commence full operations in early March 2026, with the first programmes being courses in English, IT, artificial intelligence, and Arabic.
