Raising Eurasian human resources

By Vestnik Kavkaza

The press secretary of Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, accused the US State Secretary Hilary Clinton of incompetency in an interview to the Russian TV channel Rossia 24. He responded to Clinton’s words, who fears new “Sovietization” of the CIS countries. Those who really understand the developments are trying to solve the other problem of the post-Soviet integration – human resources.

Alexei Vlasov, editor-in-chief of Vestnik Kavkaza, Deputy Dean of the History Department of Moscow State University

The higher the quality of education that we offer will be, the more it will be in demand in terms of business opportunities, management perspectives of our friends and partners, the greater will be the opportunities to preserve the warm and friendly relations that exist now. The quality of education becomes higher and higher. Now we are living in a single economic space, and if everything goes well, we will go to a new level of integration and move to the Eurasian Economic Union. But there are no social mobility and human resources of the Eurasian integration structures as separate directions for implementing careers there. I roughly know what is formed and on what basis there is the distribution of the Eurasian Economic Commission, but the concept of the "Eurasian official", "Eurasian bureaucrat," and those schools which would prepare specialists in this field are practically non-existent. This is a very serious problem, because if we want to create something like the EU, a separate integration component should be implemented in order to prepare people who will work and reach their professional goals.

People need to be prepared for working in the Eurasian integration structures. Now there are about 600-700 people there. Every year it will drastically increase, obviously, because increasing the scope of cooperation in the framework of the integration will increase the demand for professionals working in the field of legal support, the economy and, among other things, information and image maintenance of the Eurasian integration project. These specialized professionals are not being prepared at any universities. There are the first departments of Eurasian integration in some Russian universities, but it is still the first step, work which is clearly not completed.

Sayasat Nurbek, president of the Center for International Programs "Bolashak"

If we take the current elite of Kazakhstan, 80 percent came from Moscow universities - MSU, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the People's Friendship University, MIPT and MSTU. But the picture is changing quite radically, and not in favor of Russia. Currently about 67,000 Kazakhs are studying abroad. This figure is quite serious. There are four large regions where our citizens go

China is now very popular. We talk with a lot of parents, and they say: "There is a growing influence of China, and if my children will know the Chinese language, the career expectations will be better." About 10 thousand Kazakhs are currently studying in China. Over three thousand are studying in Malaysia, this is affordable English education. Japan starts to lag, and Australia gets a little popularity.

26,000 citizens of Kazakhstan are currently studying in the universities of Russia. In terms of numbers it is still an absolute champion as a country where Kazakh citizens are educated, but this number is decreasing. If you look at the regions, if earlier our citizens studied only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, now they go to Omsk, for example. We notice that fewer and fewer people from the border regions enter Kazakh universities and enjoy our program.  Our analysis shows that there is cross-border higher education in Omsk, Novosibirsk, the universities there are very willing to give citizens of Kazakhstan grants, better access, as non-resident students they are provided with accommodation, and there is a large number of grants. The demographic hole in Russia is beginning to play its role. The second question raised by Alexei is a very good question. Indeed, the closest example, not far to seek, is the European Parliament: a network of institutions is being formed, I've studied in Bruges in professional colleges, where European officials study. A whole stratum of European officials has already been formed in Europe. In the system of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the broadest network of institutions there is like a separate caste: while recruiting is common, a certain group of officials, professional bureaucrats, which bear the spirit of the European Union, the spirit of European integration, are well versed in supranational legislation etc. is being formed.

If we move towards integration, the main trends are very clearly formulated, and supranational institutions are emerging like the Eurasian Economic Commission, where more than 600 people are already involved. Naturally the question arises: how to prepare the staff for such supranational institutions? Even if we are going to compare the education system in Russia and Kazakhstan, they continue to go their own ways of development. We, for example, fully follow the path of the Bologna process that specifies the format of Tertiary Education - Bachelor, Master, PhD, there is a little bit on the integration of the American model of education, but our model is based on the European one. In Russia, most universities still retain the classic scheme of training. Alexei, we already have several sites created: the Eurasian University this year has opened a research center to study the problems of Eurasianism and Eurasian integration. The center is not very strong, to be honest, but still there are several serious scientists from Alma-Ata, it will be developed, in Alma-Ata there are high schools, but your idea is really in demand. My personal vision is that we need to start with the existing cross-border cooperation area: North Kazakhstan State University, Kustanai, East Kazakhstan State University, West Kazakhstan State University – those universities that already have a strong relationship with Russian universities. For example, WKSU annually holds forums with Orenburg, Novosibirsk, Omsk universities. The same things are held in Semipalatinsk, at East Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan universities. Here is, probably, the basic platform on which it is necessary to create, as you suggest, Eurasian scientific intellectual centers.

Julia Yakusheva, deputy director of the center "North-South"

The quality of education in Russia, unfortunately, is declining. Perhaps the situation is not as complex as in the 1990s., Now it is a bit better, yet the level of education is not the highest. In addition, I see another big problem: it is a fact that, for example, in the information space of Kazakhstan, Russia is often associated with being a country in which it is not safe to live and learn. The problems of nationalism in Russia are stressed in Kazakhstan. When murders of students take place... A few years ago actually in Moscow a Kazakh student was killed, and news of this was very actively spread in Kazakhstan, by the Kazakh media community. As a result, there are ghost images, fears, maybe even somewhere stereotypes. Here, there is a single issue of Russia's image, including the Kazakhstan media space. We need, of course, to work with the security problem and the problem of creating a more positive image of Russia and of Russian education, including in the Kazakh media community.

Sergei Rekeda, head of the Department of Baltic Countries of the Information and Analytical Center for the Study of the post-Soviet Space of Moscow State University.

In Latvia there is now quite a strong presence of Swedish capital, and it creates new conditions for the realization of the students in terms of practice. What I have in mind: Latvia is a small country, and the problem of nepotism is quite strong. I think that in Russia it is also quite important. Therefore, the arrival of Swedish companies that are tied by informal relationships with local elites allows you to search for people who are suited to it in connection with their professional skills, etc., not by order from above. This was made possible mainly due to the economic integration of the EU, in particular, we see the example of Latvia. Such a "clot" in the channels of recruitment as nepotism is gradually declining in Latvia. You referred to the image of the Eurasian official and the Eurasian man. Again, integration in the EU has increased the funding of all existing programs for students, youth, which allows constant exchange of views among young people and creates a more solid image of a European man. In particular, as I was told by my friend from Poland, often the man who is able to find a program, to present a project, to win, to go to another country for training, is valued more than any money. This shows his activity, initiative, self-sufficiency, which are often lacking in people. The third point is the Youth Parliaments which exist even in the post-Soviet countries; in the EU they got some input from the top: at first, there were regional discussions in the working groups of youth, then once or twice a year they came together in the EU and offered some of their resolutions and initiatives. I think within the Eurasian project such initiatives would also be useful. First, young talented people are needed for the Eurasian project. Second, if we talk about creating a Parliamentary Assembly or a Eurasian Parliament, we can also create a youth wing, which will be able not just to discuss any issues but also to give some advice on youth policy, to offer some kind of initiative. The last issue I would like to point out: I think that there is a problem of lack of youth initiatives, because the channels, as I have already said, exist, but the initiative of young people, in my humble opinion, is often not enough.