The results of the check conducted at the Bolashak International Scholarship Programme by the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption were announced by Corruption Prevention Department’s Special Affairs Officer Ainagul Karipova at a press briefing on April 17.
One of the major potential corruption risks is the lack of clear regulation of the six-stage competition between the future scholars, she said. Each of the stages doesn’t exclude the possibility of making a biased decision on the approval or disapproval of a certain application. At the same time, half of the decisions are carried out by third-party testing organizations without appropriate support and approval of the Bolashak Center.
Th Agency recommended to reconsider the formation procedure and work of the Independent Commission that selects applicants in order to strengthen professional level of its members.
Corruption risks also exist in the organization of language courses, in particular due to the absence of deadlines for their completion, which leads to certain scholars extending their language courses for several years with no grounds.
“The learning process itself requires a clear step-by-step regulation to monitor the progress of the scholarship holders and ensure timely response in case of their failure to fulfill contractual obligations. Employment of scholars also requires attention, as some of them have to look for jobs themselves,” Ainagul Karipova noted.
Following a thorough check, the Agency formulated specific recommendations on the abovementioned and other corruption risks and will monitor their implementation in 6 months.
