Results of Al-Farabi Anniversary Year summed up in Almaty

In Almaty, several events have been held in Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with the participation of the State Secretary of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the State Commission for the preparation and holding of the 1150th anniversary of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi Krymbek Kusherbayev. These events were attended by the Minister of Education and Science Askhat Aimagambetov, Minister of Culture and Sports Aktoty Raimkulova, Rector of KazNU Galym Mutanov, representatives of the academic community and mass media, teachers and students of the University.

The opening of a bust of the famous scientist and farabiologist Akzhan Zhaksybekuly Mashanov, known in the world as Al-Mashani, took place at Al-Farabi International Center of Al-Farabi KazNU. In his welcoming speech at the ceremony, the Secretary of State highlighted the special contribution of the founder of the Kazakhstani school of farabiology, who scientifically proved to the world that the Second Teacher of Humanity Al-Farabi was born in Kazakhstan in Otrar, the largest center of the ancient culture of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which used to be called Farabi. Recognition of the invaluable work of the Kazakhstani scientist was also the decision taken half a century ago to hold in Kazakhstan the International Forum within the framework of UNESCO, dedicated to the 1100th anniversary of Al-Farabi, which was held in Almaty in 1975.

At the meeting with scientists, which was held in the format of a round table, Krymbek Kusherbayev summed up some of the results of the 1150th anniversary of Al-Farabi, noting that the anniversary year is being celebrated under the auspices of UNESCO at the international level. Despite the pandemic, the Kazakhstani farabiologists and the scientific community have done great work to popularize and promote the heritage of the great scientist in the country and around the world.

A wide range of international public and academic circles, including representatives of the UN and UNESCO, OIC, TURKSOY, diplomatic missions, as well as leading foreign farabiologists, have been involved in the anniversary events. With the support of the Embassies of Kazakhstan and Al-Farabi Centers abroad, a number of international conferences have been organized in cooperation with leading foreign universities - Oxford University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the University of Istanbul, the Kapodistrian National University of Athens, the University of Sofia, the University of Damascus, the University of Egypt and others. The anniversary of Al-Farabi was celebrated in India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Over 12,000 people from more than 100 universities and other organizations representing 50 countries attended the international events.

More than 60 conferences, round tables, and scientific seminars were held online in the Republic. For example, the nationwide campaign «Integrity Hour», a video lecture «Al-Farabi and Virtuous Society» and a series of online webinars «Second Teacher» were held with open access on social networks. About 14 thousand students of Kazakhstani HEIs, including foreign students from seven countries, took part in the Challenge «Qayirimdi Qogam». Over 9.5 thousand schoolchildren from 10 countries of near and far abroad became participants of the international «Al-Farabi» Subject Olympiad. The winners of the Olympiad have been awarded 40 educational grants to study at Al-Farabi KazNU.

In addition, seven monographs dedicated to Al-Farabi have been published, as well as a collection of Al-Farabi quotes and a collection of thoughts and sayings «Qayirimdilik» in Kazakh, Russian and English. Three previously unpublished treatises of Al-Farabi have been translated from Arabic into Kazakh.

As part of the meeting, a presentation of the «Al-Farabi» encyclopedia, first published in the world, was held. The content of the encyclopedia includes historical facts, information, geographical objects, biographical data, life path, and scientific heritage of the thinker (treatises and comments on them), concepts and terms, works of famous scientists of the Arab-Muslim Renaissance period. It contains bibliographic information on modern researchers, Kazakhstani farabiology, and all those involved in Islamic philosophy, religion, culture, science, and education.

The State Secretary was also presented with a photo album «The Great Name of the Great Steppe», which highlights the main events and activities organized and conducted during the anniversary year by Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan and abroad. It also tells about the projects and initiatives of the leading university of the country to popularize, explore, reflect, promote, and immortalize the spiritual heritage of the great thinker. The book will be of interest not only to researchers-farabiologists and the scientific community but also to a wide readership.

Rector of Al-Farabi KazNU academician Galym Mutanov in his speech noted that in accordance with global trends, Al-Farabi Valley of Science and Technology is being created on the basis of the University with the support of UNESCO, OIC, and other international organizations. This project is designed to implement a new model of science management, focused on the creation and conversion of scientific developments, based on the principles of scientific self-governance, economic self-sufficiency, and attracting investment in the science-intensive sector.

It is planned to open a branch office of KazNU in the Syrian capital Damascus on the basis of Al-Farabi Historical and Cultural Center. By cultivating the ideas of a great thinker, the University is expanding the spatial, temporal, communicative, and civilizational boundaries of science, education, and culture. For this purpose, 10 Al-Farabi Science and Education Centers have been established in leading universities worldwide as well as two Museum houses of the Second Teacher in Delhi and Istanbul. The Centers carry out wide-ranging work on studying the creative heritage of Al-Farabi, as well as promote the study of Kazakh language, culture, and traditions of the Kazakh people, and acquaint foreign citizens with the history and achievements of Kazakhstan.

At the end of the meeting, Krymbek Eleuovich expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstani scientists for their tireless scientific search and wished them new successes and achievements for the benefit of the national Kazakhstani science and Kazakhstan. Participants of the event got acquainted with the exhibition of works of Al-Farabi and new publications about him, the fund of rare books and thematic halls of the library, updated expositions of Al-Farabi Museum.

Within the framework of the visit of the State Secretary of the RK, the presentation of the renewed office of the Global Hub of the UN Academic Impact Program, headed by KazNU for the fourth consecutive term, and Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development, was held. Krymbek Kusherbayev also got acquainted with a number of developments of scientists of the University related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including those created using modern IT-technologies. With great scientific potential, the leading university of the country contributes to fighting the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

K.Kusherbayev and the public were presented with the results of the COVID-19 forecasted situation assessment studies in Kazakhstan conducted by a group of scientists, which included mathematicians, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, IT specialists, physicians, biologists, under the guidance of Academician Galym Mutanov. Interdisciplinary research has resulted in predictive models of short-, medium- and long-term scenarios of epidemic spread. The scientists provided recommendations for effective measures and management decisions in the public health system aimed at combating COVID-19.

Scientists of Science and Technology Park of Al-Farabi KazNU have demonstrated the work of an autonomous intellectual system for non-contact measurement of human body temperature and recognition of the presence or absence of a mask in the areas of high passability and crowded places. The developed system has a number of advantages in comparison with its foreign analogs. It can be integrated into the existing «Onai» electronic ticketing system, which will enable maximum monitoring of mask compliance in public transport, identify intruders and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Young scientists and IT specialists of Al-Farabi KazNU have developed the Android application «Tracker COV|KZ», which helps to recognize symptoms of the coronavirus and see a doctor in time to diagnose and treat the disease. The mobile application includes a dynamic survey system that provides a detailed report on the presence of coronavirus symptoms. It also makes it possible to send these results to a medical institution or doctor. In addition, the application can track current statistics on the situation with COVID-19 in Kazakhstan. It is now available in two languages – Kazakh and Russian, and it is planned to create versions in English and for OIS. The Android application can be downloaded from Play Market and installed on a mobile device.

Special attention of guests was drawn to samples of antiseptics with extract of chamomile and wormwood to prevent the COVID-19 virus with a wide range of actions. Of particular interest were medicines developed by employees of the Scientific Research Center of Medical Plants of the University using the extraction of new natural compounds from plant raw materials of Kazakhstan.