The New Cohort of the Ombudsman School Has Started

The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) hosted the «Ombudsman School» for student ombudsmen from Astana’s higher education institutions. The event was organized by ENU Ombudsman, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Nelya Shapekova.

As part of the program, participants toured ENU’s “History of Writing” Museum and Scientific Library, followed by guest lectures.

Among the guests were:

Yakup Erikel - President of the Union of Mediators of the Turkic World (2023), Member of the Mediation Council of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Türkiye (since 2015);

Shamshiev Avazbek - professional mediator, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Association of Mediators of Kyrgyzstan, Director of the Osh branch of the National Mediation Center;

Zhandilda Azhigalievich Zhakupov - Vice President of the Association of Mediators of the Turkic World, CEO of the “Kazakhstan Association of Mediators” NGO, international-level mediator trainer.

In his speech, Turkish guest Yakup Erikel shared his country’s experience in mediation and noted that Türkiye plans to adopt the Ombudsman School model, emphasizing its importance in strengthening harmony and mutual understanding in society.

During the dialogue session, experienced ombudsmen - Aruzhan Bakhitova, Executive Director of the Republican Student Movement “Alliance of Students of Kazakhstan,” and Serik Kaldan, Chairman of the “Astana Students Alliance” Foundation and Student Ombudsman of Astana - shared their insights and answered questions from the participants.

The event also featured Erlan Daurenbekov, PhD, Deputy Dean for Research at the Faculty of Law, and Bakizhan Seydesh, Chairman of the ENU Trade Union, who emphasized the importance of the ombudsman institution in promoting student self-governance and legal culture.

At the end of the event, participants took a group photo and continued discussions in an informal setting over a coffee break.

It should be noted that the ENU Ombudsman School was established on November 20, 2024. Its goal is to train student ombudsmen, enhance their legal awareness, and develop the institution for protecting student rights.