RUSSIA IN THE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES MARKET OF SOUTHEAST ASIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

One of the directions of development of the Russian higher education system is the state policy on attracting educational migrants to our country, expanding academic mobility and integrating domestic universities into the global space. Given that the demographic potential of Russia's traditional source of migrants – the CIS countries – is limited, it is necessary to expand the presence of Russian education in the markets of dynamically developing countries with young populations.

In this paper, the region of Southeast Asia is analyzed as promising for the promotion of Russian education abroad. The aim of the work is to assess the feasibility of promoting Russian education directly to the Southeast Asian region in relation to the tasks of the Russian Federation to increase the number of foreign students in the country, as well as to identify the main factors influencing the process of choosing education abroad by young people from this region, studying the case of Vietnamese youth.

The study is based on a combination of statistical and qualitative analysis of demographic indicators, in‐ formation about the scholarship policy of the Russian Federation in the region, and also includes data obtained as a result of a sociological survey and materials of in-depth interviews with specialists in the field of education. The article shows that Southeast Asia will retain its significant demographic potential in the long term, certain points are noted that indicate the ineffectiveness of Russia's policy of providing quotas for education for the countries of the region, the key factors that influence the choice of education abroad are analyzed. We have identified a high degree of propensity for educational migration from the region, due to the low quality of higher education and the demand for graduates, an assessment of "second-order" factors, such as the availability and quality of leisure, public and medical services, etc. We have formulated recommendations for adjusting the policy of promoting domestic education in the region, including the creation of institutional conditions for the employment of foreign graduates of Russian universities, the formation of a sector of the economy in Southeast Asia associated with Russia, increasing the flexibility of scholarship policy, sup‐ porting the process of admission to universities for foreigners, as well as promoting the image of Russia as a country with modern comfortable living conditions. conditions, rich culture, wide opportunities for leisure.