Университет тарихы

• On March 19, 1937, by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the Kazakh SSR, the Institute of Teachers was opened in Shymkent;

• in 1954, by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, it was transformed into a pedagogical institute;

• In 1987, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the institute the educational institution was named after M. Auezov;

• In 1975, it was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the USSR Ministry of Education;

• In 1977, the institute took the first place among the pedagogical institutes of Kazakhstan at the socialist competition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution;

• According to the results of 1985, for achievements in the training of teachers, the institute received the rolling Red Flag of the USSR Ministry of Education;

• In 1988, it took III place in the socialist race among 220 pedagogical institutes of the Soviet Union;

• In 1993, by a resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the institute was affiliated with the newly created Kazakh-Turkish International University named after H.A. Yasawi to increase the scientific potential of the teaching staff, and was named Shymkent Institute;

March 9, 1995, it was transformed into the Shymkent branch of the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after H.A. Yasawi;

• On March 7, 2003 it worked as the Shymkent branch of IKTU, from September 4 - the Shymkent Institute of IKTU until June 28, 2011;

• By the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated by June 28, 2011 No. 722, the South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical Institute was reopened;

• On November 17, 2017, by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 753, the South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical Institute was given the status of a university;

• On October 16, 2018, by Government Decree No. 649, the non-profit joint-stock company South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical University was established;

• On April 12, 2019, legal state registration was held at the Justice Department of the Al-Farabi district of Shymkent;

• On April 6, 2019, a new four-storied Student House with 350 seats was commissioned, followed by Student House like a 4-star hotel with 200 seats in August;

• In honor of the celebration of the 28th anniversary of Independence in 2019, our university hosted the first republican youth competition, consisting of 11 nominations with a prize fund of 28 million tenge;

2023 was a historic year for our educational institution. By order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 512 dated by October 3, the university was named after the statesman and public figure Uzbekali Zhanibekov. Much work has been done by the Chairman of the Board - Rector Gulzhan Sugirbaeva in assigning the educational institution the name of the nation’s faithful patriot, statesman and the revival of his memory in generations.

Heads of the educational institution:

• 01.07.1937-15.09.1939 - Professor of the University of Bern Semyon Germanovich Sheinesson;

• 15.09.1939-07.03.1940 years. - Myrzaly Sabdenov, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, who rose to the rank of captain;

• 09.1940-20.12.1941 - party worker Innokentiy Matveyevich Tumanov;

• 1947-1952 - scientist Adil Ermekov, remembered by heart for his epic novel "Abai Zholy";

• 1952-1970 - Bayuzak Ermekbaev, who built new buildings and brought the institute to the development avenue;

• 1971-1984 - Myrzakhan Sarsenbayev, who made an invaluable contribution to increasing the prestige of an educational institution on the scale of the republic and the Union;

1984-1992 – Ashim Omarov Kurambayuly, who contributed to strengthening the institute and increasing the scientific creative potential of the teaching staff;

● 1993-1994 - a student of M. Auezov, an outstanding literary critic, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Kerimbek Syzdykov, who contributed to the development of the spirituality of the city and region;

● 1998-2003 and 2004-2008 - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lesbek Tashimov Tashimuly, who along with education and science, pays special attention to sports and art;

● 2003-2004 - Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor Bolysbek Otelbaev Toishybekuly;

● 2008-2011 - Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Honored Worker of Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zharylkasyn Onalbek Kerimbekuly;

● 2011-2019 – Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who revived a pedagogical educational institution, received a state license for several master and PhD programs, 3 Ayashev Onalbay Ayashevich, who opened a new House of Students, who became the inspirer of many good deeds;

● 2020-2025 - Sugirbaeva Gulzhan Dauletbekovna, who initiated the development of the "Regulation on benefits for paying for educational services for university students," the opening of new dissertation councils, the naming of the university after the name of a nation's faithful patriot, spiritual leader Uzbekali Zhanibekov, etc.;

From August 11, 2025, to July 14, 2026, the Honored Trainer of the Republic of Kazakhstan, statesman Alibek Nurtaev Nurbayuly, served as the head.

Since July 14, 2026, Doctor of Law, Professor Kairat Balabieyv Rakhymuly, has been the rector of the university.