Existing Solutions

IWRM, education; training, capacity building

educational

Solution addresses institutional and educational policy and processes categories
The presented solution includes recommendations to improve education quality in water resources in Central Asia. The solution is based on the experience of the Master Program “Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia” at the Kazakh-German University Almaty. Due to ecological along with the socio-economical framework conditions crucial for the management  and regulation of the water resources, sustainable water use plays an increasingly stronger  sociopolitical function. Precisely present Central Asian water crisis is a manifiestation of the geo-political and Socio-Economical changes in the region taking place since 1991. Therefore use of the water resource  requires more  project oriented, multi-functional and inter-and transdisciplinarity skills. Water management can therefore be understood not only as a technical task, but must also develop regional governance concepts for optimized control of water use and water distribution. Currently  these aspects are rather being neglected in the traditionally natural, agricultural, and engineering-oriented water study courses  at the Kazakh and Central Asian universities. However, the German-Kazakh University “Solution” closes this gap, precisely because of its originally rather Socio-Economic-regional academic orientation with the introduction of inter- and transdisciplinary oriented integrated water management study course. Therefore the new four-semester master study course  explicitly puts in foreground the need for transdisciplinarity among the natural sciences, engineering, social and cultural studies in the field of sustainable water management. It is an interdisciplinary, intercultural and international interface designed with the objective.to enable graduates with different professional and national background cooperation in the field of sustainable water management.

Master Program “Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia” is located at the Kazakh-German University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, but it is educating IWRM Specialists from all Central Asian countries

Since 2008, the Federal Republic of Germany has been using its Central Asia Water Initiative to shape cooperation in water management in the region. An important tool of this Initiative was establishment of the Master Program “Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia” at the Kazakh-German University in partnership with Free University Berlin. The aim of the M.A. Program is to provide young water specialists (who hold Bachelor’s degree or practical work experience in the Natural Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, or in Engineering)  with interdisciplinary competences in area of water management for Central Asia.

1. Curriculum for lectures has been developed
2.Partially financing of the Master Program has been securied for next 4 years
3. Basic Librabry and laboratory equipment has been bought
3. M.A. Students have been selected for academic year 2011/2012
4. PhD Students, who shall be educated to overtake teaching in the future and in this way secure the sustainability of the teaching process, have been selected
5.  A few Memoranda of Understanding with regional and national bodies offering traineeship for students and research cooperation has been singed.

1. How to improve education quality on IWRM in Central Asia
2. How to enhance capacity building in the field of water resources in Central Asia
3. How to improve the list of special IWRM courses and trainings
4. How to increase use of modern technologies and best practicies in educational process
The solution proposes to transfer the approach implemented in Kazakhstan into the other Central Asian countries. The proposed solution enhances the effectivity by taking into consideration of the political and educational commonalities at central, regional and local levels shared by the countries of Central Asia

Review “The status of water education in Central Asia”  by UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office Center of “Cooperation for sustainable development of Republic of Kazakhstan” (2011) indicates that in Central Asia the “quality of water resources education requires adaptations to new teaching standards, especially in the filed of conducting analysis and practical training in water area.
Curricula and teaching methods implemented in the IWRM M.A. at  DKU fill these gaps. Different then all existing educational programmes in Central Asia IWRM M.A. at  DKU:
- offers such important courses as international and national water law, and water managment’s economics and policy,
- provides students with respective text books,
- modern European technologies and best practices as well as  modern teaching methods are used
- field and professional experience is offered
Due to  regional similarities proposed solution has potencially high impact.

Monitoring of effectiveness of education process is a long-term process, which is often difficult to be measured in visible terms. The success of our Program will measured by percentage of the graduates employed in the field of water resources management in public administration, state owned or private water companies, national and international associations, NGOs or science. Programme will enable graduates to meet the job requirements set by employers. Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge in water resources, analysing problems and finding adequate solutions etc.

The solution will be interesting for governmental and educational entities in Central Asia as well as for planning and decision making institutions on both regional, central and local level. The particularly interesting aspects include (not an exhaustive list):
- reviewing the existing educational standards in water related education
- introducing similar curricula
- improvement of and fill up the list of special courses according to IWRM requirements
- providing IWRM training to administration employees
- development of special program and international networking to support young water professionals and lecturers 

The proposed solution will work best within an scientific – educational entity and training institutions.
To upscale educational project in IWRM in Central Asia there is a great need for political will on both highest and middle decission making level, including financial commitment of potentially involved stakeholders. It requires an adjustment of the the national standard in water education to courses proposed in the solution. The basic technical equipment for the water labory and for aining in the field are needed.

An important condition for sucessfull implementation of the proposed solution is securing involvment of actors involved into the concept of IWRM (public administration, state owned and private water companies, national and international associations, NGOs and  scientists) into the educational process. It will allow application of modern technologies, best practices and training techniques during the educational process.
Minimum investment necessary for the effective implementation of the solution consist of: financial support (scholarships, library, laboratory, etc.), one employee devoted to establishment and development of the educational curricula and trainings frameworks. 

There is a cooperation between Kazakh-German University and German Federal Government including scholarship for studying, enhancement of the librabry and laboratory equipment.
 There have been a few Memoranda of Understanding with regional and national bodies offering traineeship for students

Kazakh-German University, ul. Pushkina 111/113, KZ-050010 Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tel. (007-727) 355 05 51; Fax (007-727) 355 05 52,
e-mail: info@dku.kz

Master Program Integrated Water Ressources Managment in Central Asia”, coordinator:   Dr iur. Barbara Janusz-Pawletta (PhD), Lecturer of the German Academic Exchange Service at the Kazakh-German University, e-mail: janusz-pawletta@dku.kz

Website of the IWRM Master Program : http://tinyurl.com/6loednj

Flyer of the  IWRM Master Program