1150TH ANNIVERSARY OF AL-FARABI: FROM THE LAUNCH TOWARDS THE CONCLUSION OF THE ANNIVERSARY YEAR

Speech by Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University G.Mutanov at the meeting

of the State Secretary of the RK K.Kusherbayev with scientists-farabiologists

Dear Krymbek Eleuovich!

Dear Participants of the Meeting!

The celebration of the 1150th anniversary of Al-Farabi under the auspices of UNESCO represents an important milestone in the modern history of Kazakhstan in the context of the processes of socio-political modernization and the formation of value orientations for the development of the nation. The name of the great thinker Al-Farabi, as noted by Yelbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, is an invaluable symbolic capital that helps promote the image of the country on the world stage.

The anniversary year of Al-Farabi presented us with a chance to highlight the role of the Second Teacher of Humanity in the history of world civilization and to promote the image of Al-Farabi as a national brand. In this regard, the Decree of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the establishment of the State Commission on the Anniversary headed by the State Secretary and his instruction on holding a significant anniversary of the scientist at a high organizational and substantive level acquires a great historical significance.

An important mechanism for implementing the instruction of the President was the adoption of a nationwide plan of the anniversary events, which defined the main directions of work to popularize, explore, reflect, promote and perpetuate the spiritual heritage of the great thinker. Today, summing up the results of the anniversary year, we can say that its practical implementation, despite the adjustments made by the pandemic, has made it possible to achieve the main goals.

It was a great honor for Al-Farabi Kazakh National University to act as one of the main organizers of the anniversary activities both in Kazakhstan and globally. In carrying out this important mission, KazNU as the Global Hub of the UN «Academic Impact» program engages the broad international public and academic circles to participate in the anniversary celebrations.

One of the important areas of anniversary events is the organization of international and national scientific and practical platforms to discuss the creative heritage of Al-Farabi and its relevance in the modern world. KazNU organized more than 60 anniversary international and national conferences, round tables, scientific webinars with the support of such authoritative international organizations as the UN, UNESCO, OIC, TURKSOY, as well as the Embassies of Kazakhstan abroad, for which we are very thankful and grateful. The co-organizers of these events were the leading foreign universities, including Oxford, Istanbul, Sofia, Athens National Universities, as well as the Universities of Damascus, Egypt, Berlin, Zurich, Vienna, and many others.

The anniversary of Al-Farabi has been launched in many countries, including the USA, England, India, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and others. A series of «Science Talks», «TedEx Talks» was launched with the participation of the leading world farabiologists, scientists, and experts, as well as the Kazakh Speaker international competition on the theme of the heritage of Al-Farabi. All of the above scientific and practical events covered over 12,000 people from more than 100 universities and other organizations from 50 countries. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the international conference dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which is scheduled for the end of October. The context of the conference will be a discussion of the relevance of the ideas of Al-Farabi on the active mind in the context of global challenges. It is also planned to hold international conferences devoted to Al-Farabi in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Washington, Islamabad, Istanbul, and Damascus before the end of the year.

Al-Farabi International Center was established at KazNU in order to organize a comprehensive study of the multifaceted heritage of Al-Farabi. For the first time, a virtual portal on the heritage of Al-Farabi was developed, and an interactive platform for non-institutional interaction between the world farabiologists on the principle of Invisible College was launched. In collaboration with world scientific schools, Al-Farabi Center has organized work to identify the current content of Al-Farabi principles and ideas in the context of world philosophy and science and interdisciplinary research, which is a global project.

Another important area of work is the search for and translation of previously unpublished manuscripts of Al-Farabi. The University scientists have translated three previously unpublished treatises of Al-Farabi from Arabic into Kazakh, which will be published in mass-circulation in the near future. In the year of Al-Farabi, the first encyclopedia of Al-Farabi in the world was published, which systemizes all information about Al-Farabi. Seven new monographs and textbooks on the heritage of Al-Farabi have been published, as well as two collections of aphorisms of the great thinker in Kazakh, Russian and English.

In the year of Al-Farabi, special importance is attached to the formation of a modern scientific and innovative system in the country. In this regard, within the framework of the «AL-FARABI UNIVERSITY SMART CITY» concept, infrastructural facilities of scientific and socio-cultural importance have been created, which will allow attracting investments, giving a powerful impetus to the development of technologies and improving the level of domestic science and education. In the year of the anniversary of the great thinker, Al-Farabi Scientific Library has become a place of spiritual attraction. The «Keremet» Center for Student Services has become a kind of virtuous home, providing over 500 socially significant services based on collective mutual assistance and high ethical standards. Al-Farabi business school was opened under MBA and DBA programs, which are already becoming attractive for foreign students.

In accordance with global trends, Al-Farabi Valley of Science and Technology is being created in Al-Farabi KazNU with support from UNESCO and OIC. 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 attraction of investments into the science-intensive sector. Al-Farabi Valley of Science and Technology will be a powerful platform for attracting international investment in the development of new technologies and innovations.

The popularization of the heritage and ideals of Al-Farabi among young people is the most important direction of the anniversary year. In this regard, on the national platform of open education of Kazakhstan moocs.kz online course «Al-Farabi and Modernity» is placed, which 5 thousand people have listened to.

The Challenge «Qayirimdi Qogam» was launched, the International Subject Olympiad «Al-Farabi» was held, which covered 9.5 thousand schoolchildren from 10 countries. Every year the winners of the Olympiad receive 40 educational grants to study at KazNU.

A nationwide online lecture entitled «An Hour of Integrity» was held on the theme of «Al-Farabi and a Virtuous Society», which was broadcast on television channels in «Khabar», «Kazakhstan», and 14 regional TV stations. Placed on YouTube channel, these video lectures have received over 100 thousand views.

All anniversary events were covered in the domestic and foreign media, including China, Turkey, Egypt, Central Asia, and the CIS. The National Television Channel of Turkey broadcast the solemn start of the anniversary events, along with the Kazakh media.

In addition, KazNU opened a playlist #ALFARABI1150 on YouTube channel AlFarabiTV, which contains over 100 videos, stories, reports, and animated films to promote the heritage of Al-Farabi. A cycle of three documentaries dedicated to Al-Farabi was produced in cooperation with media companies in the Netherlands and Turkey. KazNU has now completed a new film project «The Return of the Teacher» with the participation of Kazakhstani filmmakers.

One of the main objectives of the anniversary year is to promote the ideas of Al-Farabi on the role of science, virtue, and ethical excellence through the implementation of specific scientific, educational, and innovative projects. As time has shown, the teachings of the great Al-Farabi about the virtuous city of Al-Madina Al-Fadila remain relevant and essential to modern society. Al-Farabi gives one key answer to all vices of humanity – spiritual and moral values, or virtues, which requires wide dissemination of a new worldview as needed by society.

In the framework of the Rukhani Zhangiru program, KazNU, based on the ideas of Al-Farabi on a virtuous society, has developed a new modern model, UNIVERSITY 4.0. It is implemented on the basis of the «AL-FARABI UNIVERSITY SMART CITY» concept and is based on a symbiosis of high-tech and spiritual and moral platforms. Launched at UN Headquarters in New York, Model 4.0 is now widely disseminated internationally as a joint project with the UN Alliance of Civilizations «Formation of a Virtuous Society. The Mission of Modern Universities».

Today Al-Farabi Centers in 12 leading universities around the world have joined the widespread dissemination of the teachings of Al-Farabi on the unity of intellectual and moral personal development. The opening of the first such branch office of KazNU is planned on the basis of Al-Farabi Historical and Cultural Center in Damascus. Preliminary work has also been done to open the branch offices in Al-Farabi Centers in Istanbul, Delhi, and other cities. At the same time, work has been done to create new overseas Al-Farabi Centers in the USA, Russia, Greece, Romania, Albania, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Baltic countries.

The wide dissemination of the key ideas of Al-Farabi not only provides a basis for national revival but also contributes to the formation of new human values that ensure the sustainable development of human civilization. This is a Kazakhstani contribution to the formation of a new worldview to ensure the sustainable development of the modern world.

In this regard, I would like to remind the admonition of great Al-Farabi: «A virtuous society is a community of people who have precise knowledge about true happiness and ways to achieve it and act in accordance with this knowledge».

Dear Krymbek Eleuovich!

At the conclusion of the report, I would like to invite you to participate in the solemn presentation of the first-ever published encyclopedia about Al-Farabi and to solemnly cut the ribbon together with the well-known farabiologist, Professor Absattar Derbisali.

www.kaznu.kz