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.
Uzbekistan’s educational cooperation, which has been rapidly developing since 2017, is becoming increasingly selective in favour of highly ranked universities. Almost half of the branches of foreign universities in the country are currently Russian, but the focus on leading global universities is weakening Russia’s position and leading to increased educational cooperation with other areas: South Korea, China, Europe, Turkey, and elsewhere. Given the breadth of the country’s educational market, non-regional players are showing increased interest in Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan has traditionally pursued a policy of openness, prioritising educational cooperation with Russia. However, since 2022, it has increasingly focused on enhancing the potential and prestige of a small group of universities with special status through developing cooperation with internationally-ranked foreign universities. The Russian vector of cooperation has begun to lose some of its appeal in favour of other partners capable of investing more in Kyrgyzstan’s education system – China, Turkey, and European countries.
Tajikistan is currently leaning toward a strategy of aligning itself with Russia in educational cooperation, facilitated by Russian support for Russian language studies: the opening of five Russian schools in 2022 and a Russian Language and Culture Centre at the MISiS branch in Dushanbe in May 2024. Furthermore, Russia has expanded the number of quotas for Tajik citizens at Russian universities to 1,000 per year. Nevertheless, Tajikistan has made attempts to interest non-regional players in educational cooperation.
Turkmenistan selectively participates in educational cooperation under the guise of permanent neutrality. There is not a single branch of a foreign university in the country. Although plans to establish a joint Russian-Turkmen university in Ashgabat were recently announced, the past experience of the branch of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, unilaterally closed by Turkmenistan in 2012, is not encouraging.
Branches of Russian universities and joint universities in Central Asian countries could become an important tool for exporting Russian education. However, it is necessary to promptly address issues with the quality of education there, creating a sufficient material base and skilfully positioning them, including online. The marketing of Russian educational programmes in the digital environment has expanded during the pandemic, but the efforts being undertaken should be more systematic, streamlined, and extensive.
Given the importance of employment prospects for students from Central Asia with a Russian university degree outside of Russia, it is essential to update the system of mutual recognition agreements with foreign countries. Of the eighty such agreements involving Russia, half were signed during the Soviet era and no longer reflect the realities of Russian higher education. Given the priorities of its Central Asian partners, Russia should intensify the implementation of existing joint educational programmes and launch new ones, as well as discuss the launch of bilateral academic mobility programmes with its Central Asian partners. This could partially offset centripetal educational migration.
Russian universities should focus on offering their Central Asian partners and applicants educational programmes in areas that are a priority for their countries: foreign languages, IT, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors, as well as programmes tailored to the needs of specific industries, such as oil and gas, mining, agriculture, construction, and so on.
Overall, it’s worth considering that, given the current conditions, Central Asian countries are more likely to agree to bilateral educational cooperation with Russia in select areas, and only if agreements are supported at the highest level.
