On the afternoon of July 2, marking the second anniversary of President Xi Jinping's important instruction to " jointly develop Northwestern Polytechnical University Kazakhstan Branch Campus and cultivate more successors to the cause of China–Kazakhstan friendship，" Northwestern Polytechnical University Kazakhstan Branch Campus held 2026 Master’s Commencement Ceremony at the Library on the Chang’an Campus. In attendance were Margulan Ibraimov, Vice Rector of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; Kong Jie, Vice President of Northwestern Polytechnical University; and heads of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, the School of Electronics and Information , the School of Computer Science, the Graduate School, and other departments, together with representatives of graduate supervisors, who gathered to witness this moment of pride in China–Kazakhstan educational cooperation. The ceremony was chaired by Li Ziwei, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation, Associate Dean of the International College, and Vice President of the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus.
Graduate representative Issadil Narkuz took the stage to speak, recalling with deep emotion her journey of growth shuttling between China and Kazakhstan, and expressing heartfelt gratitude for the visionary care of the two heads of state, the attentive guidance of all her supervisors, and the warm companionship of her classmates. As a young graduate nurtured by the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus, she said, she would strive to become both a participant in and a builder of the cause of China–Kazakhstan friendly cooperation, contributing her own strength to carrying forward the friendship between the two nations.
Speaking on behalf of the supervisors, Professor Zhang Yu of the School of Computer Science offered the graduates three pieces of guidance, summed up as "diligent study, breaking through problems, and integration": to keep learning with humility, to summon the courage to resolve real-world challenges, and to build bridges of friendship through inclusiveness and mutual respect, so that the vigor of youth may help steer China–Kazakhstan bilateral cooperation toward long-term, steady progress.
Margulan Ibraimov spoke highly of the NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus as a major joint program between the two universities for cultivating high-level talent, noting that it is steadily becoming a model example of China–Kazakhstan educational cooperation. He encouraged the graduates to hone solid professional expertise, to dig deep into the frontiers of their fields, to scale new technological heights, and to grow into the high-end technical talent urgently needed by their countries—applying their expertise to advance global scientific and technological innovation.
In his remarks, Kong Jie noted that over the past two years, the Branch Campus has remained true to the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important instruction. With the continued care of the two heads of state, it has steadily advanced its high-quality development "from existence to excellence," achieving fruitful results in talent cultivation, joint scientific research, and cultural exchange. In parting, he offered the graduates three earnest hopes: to build on what they have learned and become experts in their fields, achieving personal fulfillment through national development; to carry forward the friendship between the two universities, actively serve as bridges for exchange between them, and act as ambassadors of people-to-people connection; and to keep the trends of the times in mind, striving to become successors to the cause of China–Kazakhstan friendship and contributing to the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future featuring.
The ceremony proceeded in order through the presentation of Outstanding Graduate Awards, the traditional tassel-turning ceremony, and the conferment of degree certificates. This year, five students were recognized as Outstanding Graduates in light of their excellent academic performance and outstanding overall achievement, and 36 master's graduates came forward in turn to receive their degree certificates. As the tassels were turned, two years of dedicated study spanning mountains and seas, and countless hours of striving far from home, were distilled into a moment of shining pride, laying a firm foundation and gathering strength for the graduates as they set out on the next chapter of their lives.
Two years of cultivation, a resolve as firm as ever; from existence to excellence, a new journey now begins. This graduation ceremony marks a fresh starting point for NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus as it moves toward higher-quality, higher-level development.
Standing at this new historical juncture, NPU Kazakhstan Branch Campus will continue to uphold its mission of "cultivating more successors to the cause of China–Kazakhstan friendship," further cultivating the fertile ground of China–Kazakhstan educational cooperation with higher standards and more concrete measures. It will turn the earnest hope of " jointly develop Northwestern Polytechnical University Kazakhstan Branch Campus" into one solid achievement after another, contributing greater wisdom and strength to sustaining generations of China–Kazakhstan friendship and to serving the joint building of a China–Central Asia community with a shared future featuring.
(Text: Ding Rui
Photos: Zhou Junping, Fang Jiandong
First reviewer: Ding Rui
Second reviewer: Sun Ao
Final reviewer: Li Ziwei
Source: Office of International Cooperation
Translators: Yang Runze; Mei Leyun)
