This article examines the main challenges in ensuring the quality of the educational process in higher education institutions in the country, which were identified after Kazakhstan joined the Bologna Process. It analyzes the sources of these problems, such as low funding, the advanced age of the teaching staff, lagging behind global trends, a lack of interaction with industry, and instability in the regulatory framework. Particular attention is paid to issues of goal setting, the alignment of teacher qualifications with modern requirements, the absence of a unified methodology for quality assessment, and the organization of the educational process. The author notes that the accreditation procedure, despite its formal nature in the initial stages, helps improve the understanding of educational quality requirements and stimulates the pursuit of improvement. In addition, the role of the quality management system (QMS) in universities is analyzed, emphasizing its importance in documenting processes, ensuring the transparency of procedures, and distributing responsibility. However, the author points out the inadequacy of the QMS in ensuring the quality of the educational process, emphasizing the key role of the teacher in quality management, as well as the need to involve students in self-governance. The article also examines the role of textbooks as a mechanism for managing learning. The conclusion outlines mechanisms for ensuring the quality of higher education, including accreditation, QMS, the quality of teacher training, and student involvement.

This study investigates the energy-efficient mechanochemical activation of fly ash derived from Kazakh coals for the development of sustainable cementitious composites. The ap-proach aims to enhance the reactivity of aluminosilicate materials while reducing the en-ergy demand and carbon footprint associated with conventional clinker-based cement production. Mechanochemical activation was performed to increase the specific surface area and in-duce structural defects in the glassy phase of fly ash, thereby improving its reactivity. Chemical activation using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was applied to promote intensive pozzolanic reactions and accelerate dissolution kinetics. The optimal activation conditions were identified as 15 min of mechanical treatment com-bined with 4% NaOH. Under these conditions, the compressive strength reached 35.5 MPa at 28 days, exceeding that of the reference cement (35.0 MPa). At fly ash contents of 15–20%, the composites maintained or improved strength, whereas an increase to 30% resulted in a reduction to 31.5 MPa. Mechanical activation increased the specific surface area to approximately 4800–5000 cm²/g; however, prolonged grinding (up to 30 min) led to particle agglomeration and a de-crease in strength to about 28 MPa. Chemical activation enhanced reaction kinetics without significantly affecting particle fineness. Microstructural analysis revealed the formation of a dense and homogeneous matrix dom-inated by C–S–H, C–A–S–H, and N–A–S–H gel phases with reduced porosity. The com-bined activation approach demonstrated a clear synergistic effect, enabling up to 20% ce-ment replacement without loss of performance. Importantly, the proposed method provides a low-energy pathway for the utilization of industrial waste, contributing to reduced clinker consumption and lower CO₂ emissions. The results highlight the significant potential of Kazakhstan’s industrial by-products for the production of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective construction materials.