Today Suleyman Demirel University held a Culture Day. The international event was attended by representatives from the USA, France, China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia.
 
This cultural event was organised to promote inter-ethnic relations and to deeply explain the value and importance of different cultures. At the opening ceremony, SDU Rector Alimzhan Igenbayev gave a speech introducing international relations.
 
“There are currently 8,000 students at our university, including 152 international students from 16 countries such as Central Asia, Africa, China, Russia and Mongolia. There are also about 40 foreign professors. Cooperation memorandums signed with 60 universities in 26 countries, also implemented joint projects on academic mobility and experience exchange. In order to attract international students to our university, we annually hold ISPT Olympiads in foreign countries and offer them grants & discounts to allow them to study at SDU. Through these events we want to show that Suleyman Demirel University cooperates closely with representatives of different nationalities and other countries, so we are open to international projects,” said Alimzhan Igenbayev.
 
Omar Mbala, a fourth-year mathematics student from Kenya, explained why he came to Kazakhstan to study in higher education.
 
“Now I am studying mathematics. I found out about Kazakhstan through the ISPT University Olympiad for foreigners. I participated in this competition and won a grant which allowed me to study for free at SDU for 4 years. I chose Kazakhstan because it is quite similar to Kenya. But in our country they teach based on the British system, but here it’s different. I came to Kazakhstan to learn about the country’s education system and to talk to other nationalities. Today’s Culture Day event is very meaningful to me. This is because people develop by interacting with different nationalities and learning about their culture. I really like the fact that there are a lot of events with a focus on international students. After graduation I hope to stay at SDU to work as an associate instructor. In the future, I want to become a Mathematics Professor. At this moment I speak in Swahili, Kazakh, English, Turkish languages,” said Omar.
 
Vivien Fouquet, Executive Director of French Alliance Almaty, expressed his amazement when he saw the level of Suleyman Demirel University.
 
“I am very excited to take part in this event today, as we are trying to develop cooperation between France and Kazakhstan. This is the first time I have visited Suleiman Demirel University. To be honest, this is not how I imagined a university located outside the city. I’m surprised that there are so many students of other nationalities studying here and that students organised this event at a high level. In the future we are planning to establish contact with SDU and visit again with our colleagues,” he said.