Knowledge gained in Great Britain - for benefit of my homeland - Bolashak graduate Nurtayev
Director of Marketing and Development of "Samruk-Kazyna Pharmacy" JSC Arnur Nurtayev is one of the young citizens of Kazakhstan who obtained prestigious western education and presently works in our country. In an interview with a Kazinform correspondent he told about the years of studying abroad.
What was your choice of the country of study based on?
First of all the level of education in Britain is very high. The system has developed since ancient times. At present the UK is known as one of the most developed countries in the world. Their universities of pharmacy hold the leading positions in the world ratings. I studied at the university known for its highly qualified faculty and considered as one of the best in the world. The second reason was that I started learning English as a child and I chose an English-speaking country in order to hone my language skills. In 1997 I accomplished secondary school and I entered the Pharmaceutics Department at the Kazakh State Medical University. Having obtained the Master's Degree in Pharmaceutical Management at the University of Bradford in Britain I came back to Kazakhstan.
Did your family worry when you left for an alien country?
I was afraid it would be difficult for me to overcome the language barrier and my language skills could be not good enough for the university level. I worked in Kazakhstan for several years before I travelled to pursue studies abroad and I apprehended I might have lost my skills a little due to lack of English speaking practice. Moreover, people in Bradford have their own dialects and slangs. But after the first day at the university I realized there was nothing to fear.
Did Bradford turn to be the same as you imagined?
My main purpose was to get brilliant knowledge. Though on arrival I did not like the city's infrastructure and hostels the most important thing for me was to get qualitative education. Our teachers in Bradford University were very good specialists in pharmaceutics and had experience of work both in public and private sectors of this branch. The knowledge they devolved to us is a king of treasure. I will certainly use it in my life and career.
As is known, students are often short of money. Was the allocated state scholarship enough for you? May be you have your own method of rational use of money?
The stipend is up to USD 1500. This money is enough to pay for the hostel, food and books. Our scholarship was higher then the Britain living wage. The main purpose of a "Bolashak" scholarship owner is to receive education, and the scholarship is enough for it. But we also managed to go to the cinema sometimes.
Do you fully use in practice the knowledge received abroad here in our country?
Yes, the knowledge I acquired proved to be very useful in work. When studying in Bradford I prepared a research paper on "The system of pharmacological support of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and worked much on this direction. Upon the arrival in Kazakhstan I became employed at "Samruk Kazyna" National Fund and took part in the development of a new pharmacological support system. "Samruk Kazyna" Pharmacy" company that provides our country with medicaments was established this year. After the establishment our company started developing the system of pharmacological provision that doesn't have analogues at the post soviet space. The system is designed to provide equal medicaments' prices in all regions. We are working on this issue now and I can say that I fully use the knowledge receive in Great Britain for the benefit of my country.
Thank you for the interview!