Following the special agreement with Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 9 graduates of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Hungary, Spain and Netherlands are able to collect their KTU diplomas at the Lithuanian embassies and consulates at their respective places of residence.
Tahir Gurbanov from Azerbaijan, who has graduated from International Business at KTU School of Economics and Business, and Materials Science master studies graduate Gauhar Kantayeva from Kazakhstan are among the first ones to receive their KTU diplomas at the Lithuanian Embassy in Baku and at The Consulate General of Lithuania in Almaty.
“We are very happy to see that the relationship between Lithuania and Kazakhstan in the higher education field is expanding”, posted The Consulate General of Lithuania in Almaty on Facebook.
KTU diplomas and their supplements were issued on June 29–30 this year and the majority of the graduates were able to collect them at their faculties. However, many KTU international students went back to their home countries at the beginning of lockdown in Lithuania and, as many students worldwide, finished their studies remotely. Unfortunately, some of the graduates were not able to come back to collect their diplomas due to the quarantine and travel restrictions in their countries of residence, and additional travel costs.
KTU, aiming to fulfil its commitments to its international students, approached the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the enquiry about a possibility to hand in KTU diplomas at the Embassies of the Lithuanian Republic across the world.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted this opportunity and the diplomas will be handed out to 9 KTU graduates currently residing in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands.
“This year, all the academic community faced numerous issues, including the quarantine, rapid transition to fully remote studies, virtual graduation ceremony. However, despite the challenges, the international students defended their final projects remotely and we will be able to hand out their diplomas with the help of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We strongly believe that the assistance of the Ministry by granting the opportunity for our students to collect their diplomas at the Lithuanian Embassies abroad will strengthen the image of Lithuania as international studies destination”, says Jonas Čeponis, KTU Vice-Rector for Studies.
Dr Giedrė Šadeikaitė, Director of KTU International Relations Department, is grateful to the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which agreed to help the University also during the pandemic.
“We have always maintained very close and constructive cooperation with the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While implementing the University’s international relations development goals we consistently act in accordance with Lithuanian foreign policy trends and guidelines”, says Dr Šadeikaitė.
Responding to the current global situation, diplomas and their supplements are being printed on the secure document forms prepared according to the legislation of the Lithuanian Republic for production of secure documents and forms. The issuance and use of these documents are strictly controlled, therefore handing out KTU diplomas at the Embassies of the Lithuanian Republic allows ensuring maximum security of the documents while at the same time guarantees that the diploma will be collected by the person to whom it is intended to.
