Young Brains Leaving Russia

Described as movement of people to foreign countries for education, advanced training and acquiring new skills, intellectual migration is becoming a huge problem for Russia. The process can be both short- and long-term, up to change of citizenship, and engulfs students, young specialists and many others willing to become more knowledgeable and practiced. Globalization helps a lot, only increasing the numbers of Russian runaways who may have made the backbone of national renovation force and Russia’s rise on the world scene. Scientific and creativity reserves invariably constitute the main strategic asset of any state and require proper protection.

 

According to the Federal State Statistics Service, intellectual emigration from Russia is increasing every year, while the numbers of 11-year secondary school leavers is narrowing. In 2014, it dropped by more than 50,000 against 2012, which means fewer applicants to the higher education institutes (HEI).

 

Below see the statistics visually demonstrating the educational outflow from Russia:

 

·         Initial professional education. In 2013-2014, admission dropped by 47,200 or by nine percent, release of students by 50,800 or 11 percent, and number of students by 164,900 or 14.7 percent against 2009-2010.

 

·         Intermediate professional education. In 2013-2014, admission dropped by 22,400 or 4.8 percent, release of students by 61,300 or 14.4 percent, and number of students by 227,000 or 14.6 percent against 2009-2010.

 

·         Higher professional education. In 2013-2014, admission dropped by 2,300 or 0.4 percent, release of students dropped by 88,600 or 13.7 percent, and number of students by 492,800 or 15.3 percent. 

 

The only way to alleviate the consequences of the receding educational stock seems to lie in attracting foreigners to study in Russian institutions of higher learning, because Russia both generates and receives educational migrants, who come from Tajikistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, India, Ukraine and Vietnam. Of course, the largest provider is China, followed by Kazakhstan, India, Ukraine and Vietnam. Most of the students enter institutions specializing in economics, management and medicine, with the Federal State Statistics Service forecasting their annual increment.  

 

While the inflow of educational migrants seems quite positive for Russia's development, the educational outflow raises serious concern that could be properly perceived through understanding its causes and its consequences for the nation's economic and social sectors. Surveys deplorably suggest that scores of young Russians would like to go abroad for education or advanced training, with many of them already having jobs in foreign countries, mostly in Germany, the United States, Sweden, Australia, and Great Britain. Africa, Singapore, Latin America and Venezuela are also becoming increasingly attractive for Russian students.    

 

The causes seem to be as follows. First, education and quality of life in Russia are on the downward spiral. Second, young specialists in industrialized countries are paid better than at home. Three, which appears of greatest significance, skilled and experienced professionals suffer from their low social status since scientific research in Russia is hardly prestigious and can offer no perspective. Research centers lack adequate equipment, and implementation of key projects takes up too much time before one's ideas materialize.    

 

According to Vice President of Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Kostyuk, Russia's science-related expenditures are incommensurably lower than in other industrialized countries. In 2010, the research outlays made only 166.5 billion rubles, i.e. 1.6 percent of total budgetary expenses. At the same time, the U.S. expenses for advancing science reached 35 percent of the federal budget, while the figure for China was 11 percent, and for the European Union – 24 percent. One more reason for educational migration from Russia lies in the yearning for better jobs, because Russian employers value foreign education much higher.

 

Receding of the intellectual and cultural gene pool entails socio-economic troubles. In most cases, educational migration is irreversible, with many Russians staying for good in the country where they receive their education, which means that federal funds spent for the migrant's basic training become lost profit. The EU educational authorities insist that the intellectual stampede annually robs Russia's state budget of USD 50-60 billion and gravely affects the national economy because the leavers deprive it of their contribution into the production processes, ceasing to improve the country's economy and inflicting losses to the federal budget.   

 

As far as foreign students are concerned, their input into Russia's economy is hardly notable. They pay for their education but are provided with free lodging, food and public transport. Besides, the number of educational migrants in Russia lags behind the educational potential Russia is currently able to export. Greater numbers of foreign students in Russia might help advancing the innovations and high-tech markets and also build a foundation for replenishment of labor in backward and potentially profitable sectors.   

 

Russian employers would be happy to hire foreign graduates of Russian institutions because the latter are familiar with Russian traditions and laws, have good command of the Russian language, and comfortably integrate into the Russian society, which gives them an edge vis-à-vis the newcomers who would need time for adaptation to the unknown territory. Attraction of educational migrants is also good for global economy and international relations. Graduating a Russian university, many foreigners join their national elites and thus bolster bilateral economic and social ties, inter alia exemplified by the visit of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Russian State University of Management, the alma mater for many foreigners among them Kazakhs. If an educational migrant chooses to stay in Russia to find there a job and a family, he would only help to improve Russia's demographical status.  

 

The Russian government has recently introduced several bills aimed to develop science and hold back the intellectual outflow, offering new projects to facilitate access to education, improve research and raise quality of life. The main recent achievement seems to be the Skolkovo center for innovative technologies and several similar hubs, technoparks and business incubators. A lot has been done to support the startups and increase wages for the faculty, researchers and other workers engaged in scientific endeavors.

 

Notably, the 2012 Concept for Migration Policy of the Russian Federation up to 2025 is placing intellectual migration issues as a separate and extremely important activity, planning and implementing the following measures:

 

1.    Improvement of conditions at Russian educational institutions of all levels for Russian and foreign students irrespective of their citizenship and residence.

 

2.    Increasing the number of students in higher and intermediate educational institutions from foreign countries, primarily from the Commonwealth of Independent States.

 

3.    Improvement of conditions for foreign students staying in the Russian Federation to advance their socio-cultural adaptation, medical insurance and security.

 

4.    Export of Russian educational services to the countries generating mass migration to the Russian Federation.

 

5.    Assistance to mobility of specialists engaged in educational, research and analytical activities in educational and research institutions.

 

6.    Organizational, informational and financial assistance to educational and research institutions in implementation of international academic mobility programs, as well as in attraction of foreign scientists under long-term contracts.

 

7.    Granting foreign students in the Russian Federation working rights during their education period on the same grounds with Russian students.

 

8.    Granting foreigners opportunities for employment in Russia within the specialty obtained in the institutions of higher and intermediate education of the Russian Federation immediately upon graduation.

 

9.    Establishment of centers for pre-university and Russian language training in initial professional education institutions in countries generating major migratory flows. 

 

10. Simplification of administrative procedures related with the entry and stay in the Russian Federation for foreigners intending to engage in educational, research and analytical activities in educational and scientific institutions, including participation in conferences and seminars.

 

11. Introduction of a simplified procedure for granting permanent residence to foreigners in the territory of the Russian Federation intending to engage in educational, research and analytical activities in educational and research institutions, as well as to their family members.

 

12. Simplified entry of the family members of foreigners intending to engage in educational, research and analytical activities in educational and research institutions, as well as lifting of restrictions for their employment and education.

 

13. Elaboration of a grants system for citizens of the Russian Federation upon their professional education abroad in order to stimulate their resettlement in Russia.

 

14. Assistance to compatriots and their children residing abroad in obtaining education in the territory of the Russian Federation.

 

15. Compilation of the baseline list of medical insurance services for foreigners educating in the Russian institutions.

 

Fully aware of dangers related with the outflow of intellectual elite from Russia, the government is working to minimize the outgoing and maximize the Russia-bound flows, suggesting that implementation of the concept is likely to yield fruit for the good of Russia's economy and social sector. I do believe that appropriate conditions for young specialists and researchers will emerge soon to help them materialize their ideas in Great Russia.