Yekaterinburg Universities and SCO Countries Educational Space: Barriers and Risks

Educational interaction between Russia and the SCO countries has a long cultural and historical experience. The practice of such interaction is becoming more and more evident in obtaining more support and interest in the education system in Russia and the SCO countries. The modern social reality referring to the pandemic, changes in the geopolitical space of the world dictate new requirements for the formation of educational interaction models between the SCO countries. The trend of Russia’s refusal to participate in the Bologna process is also becoming one of the main directions of Russian educational policy. The major research objectives were to study the barriers that hinder the development of interaction between the SCOcountries in the educational space, to identify the advantages, disadvantages and problems of its implementation. The research methodology combined both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The primary data was collected using questionnaires (n= 560) and in-depth interviews (n=50). Students from the SCO countries studying at universities in Yekaterinburg (Russia) took part in the quantitative study The in-depth interviews with experts were conducted in order to identify key issues of educational interaction between the SCO countries. The research has investigated a number of barriers that prevent fruitful educational interactionbetween the universities of the SCO countries. They are as follows: objective circumstances of constantly changing geopolitical realities, technical difficulties in the implementation of educational interaction, insufficient readiness of the teaching staff to teach foreign students, financial risks, language barrier, cultural barrier, unfavourable infrastructure of universities, the specifics of educational programs and curricula. Our research has identified factors that will contribute to the development of educational interaction and overcoming barriers. They are as follows: personal factors, motivation to get education in Russian universities, the historically established cultural tradition of communication between the peoples of the SCO countries, the creation of uniform educational standards and organizations (similar to the SCO university).The study has identified barriers that prevent this interaction. They are as follows: objective circumstances of constantly changing geopolitical realities, technical difficulties in the implementation of educational interaction, insufficient readiness of the teaching staff to teach foreign students, financial risks, language barrier, cultural barrier, unfavourable infrastructure of universities, the specifics of educational programs and curricula. The study has revealed factors that promote the development of educational interaction and overcome barriers. They include: personal factors, motivation to get education in Russian universities, the historically established cultural tradition of communication between the peoples of the SCO countries,the creation of uniform educational standards, organizations (similar to the SCO university).