The geography of educational cooperation among Central Asian countries is determined by their foreign policy interests and the lack of domestic resources to provide opportunities for higher education to their growing populations. Today, the Russian vector of educational cooperation is losing its priority as they diversify their foreign policy ties. As a result, Russia faces the challenge of intensifying and expanding its efforts to support Russian language learning, opening branches and joint programmes, and repositioning Russian education abroad, Anastasia Pogorelskaya writes. The author is a participant of the Valdai – New Generation project.
Central Asia is not a monolithic region when it comes to international educational cooperation. Each country’s choice of international partners is determined by its available resources, domestic political situation, and international circumstances, although they share a number of similar characteristics. In particular, the challenge of ensuring accessible, adequate-quality higher education must be addressed in the context of population growth and limited domestic resources.
Since gaining independence, Russia has continued to serve as a “resource hub” for Central Asia, where many citizens of these countries have received education and subsequently found employment. The centripetal nature of educational migration flows in the post-Soviet space has led to the perception of educational cooperation with Russia as asymmetrical and leading to a “brain drain”. In response, countries in the region have begun actively seeking opportunities to expand the geography of their educational cooperation. For Russia, this means not only increased competition for applicants from Central Asia but also a potential reduction in its influence in this strategically important region.
The current Russian strategy has a number of shortcomings. Despite efforts to promote the Russian language, proficiency in the region has long been declining in favour of national languages, as well as English, Turkish, Korean, and Chinese. Russian higher education, thanks to quotas and the opportunity for citizens of CIS countries to study on state-funded scholarships, attracts applicants primarily due to its low cost, and to a lesser extent, its quality. When seeking out a prestigious degree, applicants are more likely to look to universities in Europe and the United States. With the announcement of educational reform in Russia, which is being interpreted as a “withdrawal from the Bologna system”, the advantages of Russian higher education for applicants from Central Asian countries are becoming less and less clear. Russia’s lack of a coherent educational strategy for Central Asia has led to a long period of inertia in recruiting applicants from the region; little attention is paid to the situation in individual countries in developing offerings that meet their needs and priorities.
For example, Kazakhstan is pursuing a policy of restraining Russian educational initiatives in the CIS and the EAEU and expanding cooperation with non-regional players, while slowing cooperation with Russia. This is evidenced, for example, in the rapid establishment of branches of foreign universities in Kazakhstan. Furthermore, Kazakhstan is seeking to position itself as a magnet for Central Asian students and a model for the successful implementation of the Bologna principles for its neighbours in the region.
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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