CC BY
5
UDC 325.2 JEL J01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26425/2309-3633-2022-10-3-58-66
Received: 23.06.2022 Revised: 22.07.2022 Accepted: 28.07.2022
Educational migration from Tajikistan to Russia: trends and consequences
Abubakr Kh. Rakhmonov
Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Senior Researcher ORCID: https://doi.org/0000-0001-9924-5857, e-mail: abubak.93@mail.ru
Institute of Demographic Research FCTAS RAS, 6k1, Fotievoi str., Moscow 119333, Russia
Abstract
The article considers the scale of emigration from Tajikistan to Russia, the distribution of Tajik migrants on the territory of Russia, the importance of the educational migration development for Tajikistan. As well as the trends of educational emigration from Tajikistan to Russia, the prospects of educational migration from Tajikistan and practical recommendations for Tajikistan on the preservation and return of highly qualified specialists to the country are proposed. Tajikistan, as a country with a young return structure of the population, has become a significant participant in various migration flows in recent years. Migrants from Tajikistan can be divided into two parts according to the level of education: the first is young people with secondary or incomplete secondary education, very rarely - with vocational education. The second group consists of middle-aged and older people, skilled workers, and specialists with secondary specialized and higher education. Traditionally, Tajik youth went to study in Russia and Kazakhstan. Half of Tajik university graduates are trying to continue their studies and/or find a job abroad using the Internet. Many people see educational migration as one of the channels of emigration. This process is accompanied by the receipt by Tajik citizens of another education or retraining, the recognition of Tajik diplomas, the passage of appropriate courses in the receiving countries. The socio-economic situation in Tajikistan and the opportunity to earn money and improve living conditions both inside the country and abroad were primarily the driving factor of migration from Tajikistan to Russia. The main reasons why migrants do not want to return to Tajikistan are not only low wages at home, but also great opportunities abroad, which have not only economic, but also political and social dimensions (freedom of political views, the possibility of self-expression, the possibility of realizing abilities). As a result of this wave of migration, Tajikistan is losing not only young people, but also bright potential. We need a policy of attracting highly qualified people to the country, which is impossible without real changes in the socio-economic and political sphere. The purpose of the article is to identify trends and prospects for the development of educational migration from Tajikistan to Russia, as well as the consequences of educational emigration for Tajikistan.
Keywords: Tajikistan, Russia, students, youth, educational migration, labor emigration, higher education, labor market, educational services market
For citation: Rakhmonov A.Kh. (2022) Educational migration from Tajikistan to Russia: trends and consequences. Upravlenie/Management (Russia), 10 (3), pp. 58-66. DOI: 10.26425/2309-3633-2022-10-3-58-66
Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the framework of the Programme of fundamental and applied scientific research "Ethno-cultural diversity of Russian society and strengthening of the all-Russian identity" (instruction of the President of the Russian Federation No. PR-71 dated 16.01.2020).
© Rakhmonov A.Kh., 2022.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Получено: 23.06.2022 Статья доработана после рецензирования: 22.07.2022 Принято: 28.07.2022
Образовательная миграция из Таджикистана в Россию:
тенденции и последствия
Рахмонов Абубакр Хасанович
Канд. экон. наук, ст. науч. сотр. ORCID: https://doi.org/0000-0001-9924-5857, e-mail: abubak.93@mail.ru
Институт демографических исследований ФНИСЦ РАН, 119333, Фотиевой ул., 6к1, г. Москва, Россия
Аннотация
В статье рассматриваются масштабы эмиграции из Таджикистана в Россию, распределение таджикских мигрантов на территории России, важность развития образовательной миграции для Таджикистана. А также тенденции образовательной эмиграции из Таджикистана в Россию и перспективы образовательной миграции из Таджикистана. Автором предложены практические рекомендации для Таджикистана по сохранению и возврату в страну высококвалифицированных специалистов. Таджикистан как страна с молодой возвратной структурой населения в последние годы становится значимым участником в различных потоках миграции. Мигрантов из Таджикистана можно разделить на две группы по уровню образования: первая - это молодежь со средним или с неполным средним образованием, крайне редко - с профессиональным. Вторая группа - это люди среднего и старшего возраста, квалифицированные рабочие и специалисты со средним специальным и высшим образованием. Традиционно таджикистанская молодежь выезжала на обучение в Россию и Казахстан. Половина выпускников вузов Таджикистана пытаются продолжить обучение и/или найти работу за рубежом, используя «Интернет». Многие видят образовательную миграцию как один из каналов эмиграции. Этот процесс сопровождается получением гражданами Таджикистана еще одного образования или переквалификацией, признанием таджикистанских дипломов, прохождением соответствующих курсов в странах приема. Подталкивающим фактором миграции из Таджикистана в Россию, прежде всего, выступала социально-экономическая ситуация в Таджикистане и возможность зарабатывать и улучшать условия жизни как внутри страны, так и за рубежом. Главными причинами, по которым мигранты не хотят возвращаться в Таджикистан, является не только низкая заработная плата на родине, но и большие возможности за рубежом, которые имеют не только экономическое, но и политическое, и социальное измерение (свобода политических взглядов, возможность самовыражения, реализация способностей). Таджикистан в результате этой волны миграции теряет не только молодежь, но и яркий потенциал. Требуется политика привлечения высококвалифицированных специалистов в страну, что невозможно без реальных изменений в социально-экономической и политической сфере. Цель статьи - выявить тенденции и перспективы развития образовательной миграции из Таджикистана в Россию, а также последствия образовательной эмиграции для Таджикистана.
Ключевые слова: Таджикистан, Россия, студенты, молодежь, образовательная миграция, трудовая эмиграция, высшее образование, рынок труда, рынок образовательных услуг
Цитирование: Рахмонов А.Х. Образовательная миграция из Таджикистана в Россию: тенденции и последствия // Управление. 2022. Т. 10. № 3. С. 58-66. DOI: 10.26425/2309-3633-2022-10-3-58-66
Благодарности. Статья подготовлена в рамках Программы фундаментальных и прикладных научных исследований «Этнокультурное многообразие российского общества и укрепление общероссийской идентичности» (поручение Президента Российской Федерации № ПР-71 от 16.01.2020 г.).
© Рахмонов А.Х., 2022.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Introduction
One of the most important types of migration mobility is international educational migration, which is the movement of people between countries in order to obtain education at different levels and for different periods. The mobility of international students has grown over the past decade, especially due to globalization. In many countries of the world, the existing education system does not have time to respond adequately to the rapid obsolescence of knowledge, the change of technologies forces young people to get education abroad.
Among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, Russia is the main channel of educational emigration. Most of the students from the CIS countries, including Tajikistan, go to study in Russia. The youth of Tajikistan are interested in studying in Russia, for the following reasons: knowledge of the Russian language, a common past history, and also Russia is the main emigration channel for labor migrants from Tajikistan. Some Tajik students after graduating from Russian universities turn into labor immigrants and stay because of high wages in Russia. Under these conditions, Tajikistan should change its policy and attract its highly qualified citizens, since today's Tajikistan needs highly qualified specialists.
The scale of migration from Tajikistan
to Russia
In Tajikistan, during the Soviet period, migration processes were very passive1. This was caused by several reasons. First, it was a combination of the increasing standard of living processes with its traditional way of life, especially with patriarchal remnants. Family foundations in Tajikistan were more stable compared to most of the republics of the former Soviet Union, and the growth of the population's income was a factor of strengthening these family foundations. If the income allowed a normal life for household members, then there was no need to look for additional income not only outside the country, but also outside the populated areas where the households lived.
Migration from the Republic of Tajikistan to the Russian Federation can be divided into two stages. The first stage began during the civil war 1992-1997 - these were refugees, mainly ethnic Russians, and representatives of the peoples of Russia. The second stage of migration from Tajikistan to Russia was in the 2000s-2010s,
1 Ulmasov R. (Thursday 1 Mar. 2018), "The history of Tajik migration: lessons from the past, faces of the future", Russian Council for International Affairs, available at: https://russiancouncil.ru/blogs/rahmon-ulmasov/ istoriya-tadzhikskoy-migratsii-uroki-proshlogo-liki-budushchego/ (accessed 06.06.2022).
when forced emigration gradually transformed into labor emigration of ethnic Tajiks [Ryazantsev et al., 2018].
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in the period 2016-2020, about 11 million citizens of Tajikistan were registered in the Russian Federation (Fig. 1)2. On average, about 2.2mil-lion citizens of Tajikistan were registered annually during this period. In 2016-2020, an average of 24.2 % of the total number of Tajik citizens migrated to Russia.
Source2
Figure 1. The number of citizens from Tajikistan registered in the Russian Federation for 2016-2020
It should be noted that during the second stage of migration from Tajikistan to Russia in 2000-2010, the number of Tajik citizens who began to acquire Russian citizenship increased. Migrants began to leave with their families for permanent residence, mainly in the Russian Federation, female migration increased. The socioeconomic situation in Tajikistan and the opportunity to earn money and improve living conditions both inside the country and abroad were primarily the driving factor here. During this period, the volume of remittances of migrant workers increased significantly, which significantly affected the improvement of the standard of living in Tajikistan itself. Another feature of this period can be called the "politicisation" of migration.
Distribution of migrants from Tajikistan
in Russia
After the collapse of the USSR, the civil war began in the Republic of Tajikistan [Bobokhonov, 2011]. The war forced Tajik citizens to emigrate to other countries, primarily to other CIS countries. According to the Demographic Yearbook of the Republic of Tajikistan, in 2005-2019, more than 9.12 million Tajik citizens left
2 Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Statistics and analytics, available at: https://MBg.p$/dejatelnost/statistics (accessed 10.06.2022).
for employment abroad, 7.31 million of them were men and 1.24 million were women (Table 1)3. On average, the percentage of labor migrants who left for work in other countries from the total population of Tajikistan in 20052019 was 7.7 %. People from Tajikistan are engaged in business, work in the field of services and trade, culture, and science in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
The scale of emigration from Tajikistan abroad began to decrease since 2013, and the greatest decline was recorded in 2015 (Table 1), which is due to the fall in the Russian ruble exchange rate and a decrease in the income of migrants in the Russian Federation in currency equivalent. With a general decrease in the flow of emigrants from Tajikistan to Russia, part of it was reoriented to the OECD countries.
Tajik labor migrants currently work in almost all regions of Russia. Most of them are employed in small and medium-sized businesses, where employers widely use unskilled workers from Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries4. It is more profitable for Russian entrepreneurs to use cheap labor, deprived of any rights,
3 Agency for Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (2018), Demographic Yearbook of the Republic of Tajikistan, available at: http://stat.ww.tj/publications/June2019/demographic-yearbook-2018.pdf (accessed 16.06.2022).
4 Rodionov K. (Tuesday 9 Apr. 2013), "Low-skilled foreign labor is cheap for the employer, but not for society", Gazeta.ru, available at: https://www. gazeta.ru/comments/2013/04/09_a_5248613.shtml (accessed 03.06.2022).
Number of the Republic of Tajikistan citizens l
than to invest in the innovative development of enterprises and increase labor productivity5. The reason for this "economic trap" is that many state and budget organizations are forced to participate in tenders (competitions) for the purchase of goods and services, where the only criterion is the price. As a result, in many sectors of the economy, there occurs a situation when the tender is won by an organization or company offering the minimum price for its goods and services. Such enterprises and companies save on labor.
In 2016—2020, the number of Tajik citizens registered at their place of residence in the regions of the Russian Federation amounted to about 433 thousand people (Table 2).
The top five regions include the Samara, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk, Moscow, and Kaluga regions. Moscow and St. Petersburg open the second ten (Fig. 2). However, this does not mean that Moscow and St. Petersburg are unattractive for migrants from Tajikistan. This rather reflects the imperfection of the Russian registration system. The registration of migrants is largely a vestige of the former Soviet system of control over movements in the country and currently does not reflect the real location of migrants and their number in Russia.
5 Iskandar F. (Tuesday 26 Jan. 2021), "Tajikistan is sending 400 migrant workers to work in Irkutsk in an organized manner", Novosti-Tadzhikistana, available at: https://novosti-tadzhikistana.ru/tadzhikistan-organizovanno-otpravlyaet-na-rabotu-v-irkutsk-400-trudovyh-migrantov/ (accessed 15.06.2022).
Table 1
ing for work in other countries for 2005-2019
Year Number of migrants Population of Tajikistan, million people Migrants' share from the total population of Tajikistan
Total number Male Female
person % person %
2005 413,804 404,051 97.6 % 9,753 2.4 % 6.789 6.1 %
2006 610,972 554,827 90.8 % 56,145 9.2 % 6.923 8.8 %
2007 575,453 7.063 8.1 %
2008 657,342 574,066 87.3 % 83,276 12.7 % 7.21 9.1 %
2009 692,943 415,765 60.0 % 277,178 40.0 % 7.365 9.4 %
2010 736,446 656,814 89.2 % 79,632 10.8 % 7.527 9.8 %
2011 750,391 663,658 88.4 % 86,733 11.6 % 7.698 9.7 %
2012 744,368 657,353 88.3 % 87,015 11.7 % 7.875 9.5 %
2013 799,700 698,806 87.4 % 100,894 12.6 % 8.06 9.9 %
2014 670,806 564,390 84.1 % 106,416 15.9 % 8.253 8.1 %
2015 450,449 392,933 87.2 % 57,516 12.8 % 8.454 5.3 %
2016 517,308 435,457 84.2 % 81,851 15.8 % 8.664 6.0 %
2017 487,757 419,721 86.1 % 68,036 13.9 % 8.88 5.5 %
2018 484,176 419,664 86.6 % 64,512 13.4 % 9.1 5.3 %
2019 530,883 453,870 85.5 % 77,013 14.5 % 9.3 5.7 %
Source3
Table 2
Number of Tajikistan citizens registered at the place of residence by regions of the Russian Federation for 2016-2020
Number of registered citizens by the Russian regions
Year Voronezh region Kaluga region Moscow Moscow region St. Petersburg and Leningrad region Republic of Bashkortostan Republic of Tatarstan Nizhny Novgorod region Perm region Samara region Sverdlovsk region Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Chelyabinsk region Altai Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai Irkutsk region Kemerovo region Novosibirsk region Other regions Total by year
2016 1,840 3,083 1,379 2,813 2,195 1,440 1,287 1,617 1,586 2,314 4,622 2,669 2,529 2,314 3,562 1,976 2,157 3,556 26,805 69,744
2017 2,120 3,681 1,653 3,606 2,230 1,639 1,840 1,701 1,253 4,155 5,292 3,030 2,275 2,769 3,696 2,356 2,615 4,582 30,664 81,157
2018 2,241 2,970 1,986 4,729 2,262 1,430 1,967 1,295 1,054 4,903 6,112 3,454 2,159 3,107 3,479 2,495 1,964 5,038 34,246 86,891
2019 2,296 4,411 2,878 5,325 2,524 1,563 2,477 1,503 1,167 7,065 6,892 4,169 2,833 2,771 3,305 2,696 2,167 5,361 40,645 102,048
2020 1,436 5,100 1,422 5,316 1,659 1,944 1,967 1,074 785 3,375 7,046 5,715 2,708 2,452 4,937 1,424 2,549 4,797 37,629 93,335
Source6
Since 2003, from 1 to 1.5 million people [Ryazantsev et al., 2018] have left Tajikistan annually for work, including 780 thousand men and about 140 thousand women of working age, 80 thousand men younger than working age (mainly teenagers aged 16 to 18 years), 7 thousand men older than working age. Ethnic Tajiks (88 %) dominate in the national composition of emigration flows, Uzbeks (10 %), Russians (1.2 %) and other peoples (0.8 %) are also represented7.
The importance of the educational migration development for Tajikistan
During the years of independence in Tajikistan, due to the civil war and other problems, the image of the country
6 Unified interdepartmental information and statistical system (EMISS), Number of arrived citizens, available at: https://www.fedstat.ru/indicator/43514 (accessed 10.06.2022).
7 Olimova C. (2005), "Migration processes in modern Tajikistan", Demoscope Weekly, available at: http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2005/0223/ analit05.php (accessed 13.06.2022).
and its people formed in the information space of the postSoviet states cannot be called positive [Bakhriev, 2018]. The proximity to Afghanistan, drug trafficking, the problems of extremism and terrorism also contributed to the formation of a contradictory image of Tajikistan in other countries. Therefore, the educational migration of young people is an important factor in the positioning of Tajikistan in the foreign policy arena as an independent and Persian-speaking state. In this context, we note the points that allow us to talk about the positive impact of educational migration of young people on the image of Tajikistan as a whole. These include [Rizoen, 2021] the following.
1. Accumulation and enrichment of the human capital. As S. Kasymova [2017] notes in her study, the youth of Tajikistan who studied abroad have a high level of professional education: the presence of 2-3 diplomas of higher education; every tenth graduate has a scientific degree of Doctor of Sciences (PhD). When returning to their homeland, this category of young people can seriously affect the political and economic processes
Sverdlovsk region
£=
o
cu Novosibirsk region d e
Samara region
d cd
Jz Moscow region 15
g Kaluga region
gi e
R
Voronezh region
I i i
3.0 4.0 5.0 Migrants' share, %
Compiled by the author on the materials of the study Figure 2. The number of Tajikistan citizens registered at the place of residence by regions of the Russian Federation for 2016-2020
in the country. Tajikistan should study the experience of Uzbekistan on the use of specialists who have studied abroad and develop a special program for the return and decent employment of foreign universities graduates. The formation and expansion of such capital is important for the development of all spheres of the country's life.
2. Formation of a positive image of Tajiks and Tajikistan abroad. This element is one of the biggest advantages of educational migration of young people. Unfortunately, not all students from Tajikistan complete their studies at reputable foreign universities, but those who study successfully act as worthy representatives of the country. To consolidate this resource, the "Club of Tajik Youth Studying Abroad" has been functioning under the Committee on Youth and Sports under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan since 2014, and today has its representative offices in 16 countries of the world and 25 regions of Russia. The main objectives of the club are to unite Tajik youth studying abroad and to form a favorable image of modern Tajikistan.
3. Representation of national characteristics. Within the framework of the communities where students and postgraduates from Tajikistan live, active work is being carried out to familiarize the citizens of the host country with the national peculiarities of Tajikistan. For example, in Russia and other countries, young people actively participate in the celebration of the Persian new year "Navruz", state holidays of Tajikistan, etc. They take part in festivals held on the initiative of the university administration. Since some interested actors in the information space focus exclusively on negative events in Tajikistan, the active youth of the country could contribute to leveling these narratives, using new information and communication technologies, widely publicize the achievements of the Tajik people.. Researcher B.H. Bakhriev [2018] noted in this regard: "... Almost every citizen of Tajikistan outside of its borders becomes a resource of public diplomacy of his state, i.e., he can influence the formation of a particular image of his country." A good example of such work is the activity of the Tajik diaspora in Russia.
4. The image of a successful and educated person. Many graduates of foreign universities and participants of international programs, having a reputation of highly qualified and successful people, find decent work both at home and abroad [Zwarthoed, Culp, 2018]. During the interview, the experts noted that young people with foreign higher education have a great influence on the youth environment of their place of residence, they conduct successful entrepreneurial activities, create new areas of business and production, introduce new goods and services in the country's market. Illustrative examples from the practice of successful people can act as an effective
tool for reducing the interest of local youth in radical and extremist organizations [Khalid et al., 2019].
Trends of educational emigration from
Tajikistan to Russia
According to the statistical data provided in the document "On the number of citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan sent by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan to study in higher and scientific educational institutions of foreign countries at the expense of educational quotas and continuing their studies", in 2014—
2018, Russia is leading among the host countries in terms of the number of accepted students - 17,081 (81.1 %), followed by: China - 1,520 (7.2 %); Kazakhstan - 703 (3.4 %); Kyrgyzstan - 459 (2.2 %); Belarus - 236 (1.1 %); Malaysia - 110 (0.52 %); USA - 110 (0.52 %); Turkey - 88 (0.42 %); Baltic countries - 88 (0.42 %); Ukraine - 83 (0.4 %); Japan - 68 (0.32 %); Germany - 67 (0.32 %); Poland -63 (0.3 %); Indonesia - 59 (0.28 %); Saudi Arabia -59 (0.28 %); Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -57 (0.27 %)8. In addition, students from Tajikistan are also studying in Iran, India, Turkmenistan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Kuwait, Austria, and Azerbaijan.
Students from Tajikistan study mainly in the CIS countries (88.9 %), the remaining 11.2 % study in other countries of the world. According to Nuriddin Said, the former Minister of Education and Science of Tajikistan, until July 19,
2019, 30 thousand young people studied in foreign countries, 90 % of them on a budget basis9. Within the framework of bilateral agreements, 21 thousand Tajik students studied at Russian universities [Abdusamatov, Bayanova, 2018].
In 2012-2020, 35.3 % of the total number of Tajik citizens who arrived in Russia had a general secondary (full) education (Table 3); 13.4 % had a secondary vocational (specialized secondary) education; about 8 % had a higher professional (higher) education. Most often, citizens who had a general secondary (full) education come from Tajikistan, which means that young people most often come after finishing the eleventh grade.
However, the existing statistics do not allow us to determine the exact number of Tajik students studying abroad. During the study, it was revealed that some Tajik students study at the expense of their personal funds or international scholarships, and their number
8 Agency on statistics under President of the Republic of Tajikistan (2019), Education in the Republic of Tajikistan-2019-2020, available at: http://stat.ww.tj/publications/June2019/Education-2019.pdf (accessed 14.06.2022).
9 International Organization for Migration (2019), External youth migration in Central Asian countries: risk analysis and minimization of negative consequences: analytical report, available at: https://publications.iom.int/system/files/ pdf/external_youth_migration_ru.pdf (accessed 17.06.2022).
Table 3
Distribution of migrants from Tajikistan to Russia by level of education for 2017-2020
Education level Number of migrants by year, persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Higher professional education, with an academic degree: 3,158 3,334 3,478 4,142 4,543 5,355 6,177 2,548 2,174
• Doctoral degree 12 11 14 11 21 22 23 6 -
• Candidate of Sciences degree 29 19 32 18 20 31 19 17 37
Incomplete higher professional education (incomplete higher education) 1,136 811 844 712 975 1,032 1,237 631 2,457
Secondary education (specialized secondary) 6,028 6,953 7,108 7,272 7,160 8,621 10,160 4,341 6,094
Primary education 977 1,003 1,235 713 651 737 890 558 2,515
General secondary (full) 16,119 23,070 23,565 18,030 19,870 23,131 22,622 5,345 26,315
Basic general education (secondary general incomplete) 3,440 3,996 4,101 3,591 4,005 4,174 4,369 1,957 7,505
Primary general education (primary) and those who do not have an education 1,037 1,104 1,317 940 903 1,182 1,083 655 1,510
The level of education is not specified 7,113 7,782 9,888 8,278 9,826 13,136 13,906 65,031 14,961
Source10
in various countries of the world, including in the CIS, may be an order of magnitude higher than noted in statistics [Qi, 2021]. The priority directions of educational migration from Tajikistan are admission to universities in Russia and other CIS countries, as well as to universities in China. Regarding the choice of specialty, medicine, legal and economic sciences dominate.
Prospects of educational migration from
Tajikistan
It is noted that in the medium term, an increase in the educational migration of young people in Tajikistan is expected, and this conclusion is based on the following points.
Firstly, today, unlike in the 2000s, admission to foreign universities is not something unattainable since foreign countries provide grants and scholarships. For example, regional universities of the Russian Federation in the administrative centers of the regions of Tajikistan examine school graduates who can become students [Pirnazarova, 2013]. The other part of the educational quotas is allocated through Russian Center of Science and Culture in Dushanbe. Thus, it is expected that in the medium term, the number of students from Tajikistan in Russian universities will increase. Studying in Russia is also attractive because after
receiving a diploma, you can get Russian citizenship in a simplified form.
Secondly, both in Russia and in the other countries of the world, the number of Tajik citizens who have left for permanent residence is growing. Today, for example, there are from 15 to 20 thousand of them living in the United States. The analysis of social networks shows that mostly successful and educated young people who have achieved some success in Tajikistan migrate to Western countries. Citizens of Tajikistan living in Western countries form a favorable background for further migration of young people with their achievements. That is why a significant part of the educated youth intends to go to Western countries for education and work with the prospect of staying there for permanent residence.
Thirdly, studying abroad opens wide opportunities for self-realization. The young people we interviewed, who have experience of educational migration, noted that they cannot realize their scientific and research potential at home. However, the state itself is interested in increasing human potential, since, living in different countries, people from Tajikistan help their loved ones, primarily by money transfers [Rizoen, 2021].
10 Rosstat. Population size and migration of the Russian Federation, available at: https://rosstat.gov.ru/ (accessed 07.06.2022).
The author's recommendations to the Republic of Tajikistan on attracting and retaining highly qualified citizens
The Republic of Tajikistan needs to change its migration policy aimed at its highly qualified specialists, create conditions for crushing the outflow and return of highly qualified specialists working in the labor markets of the other countries, since the future of Tajikistan depends on them.
The author puts forward the following proposals for interaction between the State of Tajikistan and Tajik scientists:
• change of strategy from "brain drain" to "brain circulation";
• development of various forms of academic mobility ("two-way road");
• creation and expansion of grant programs for Tajik scientists and specialists living abroad (travel grants, visits to universities and research centers, joint research, including in social sciences);
• creation and support by Tajik scientific foundations of international conferences and seminars in Tajikistan and abroad.
Creation of programs for attracting the most successful students of Tajik universities to the work of enterprises during their studies. These programs will help to retain the necessary highly qualified specialists in Tajikistan, preventing their outflow to other countries and will contribute to the economic development of the country.
If Tajikistan hopes for the contribution of highly qualified migrants to the economy of Tajikistan from abroad, then this is a big mistake. Ideally, the contribution should consist in the return of specialists who have gained experience, knowledge and skills in other countries that can be used in Tajikistan.
Conclusion
Recently, large-scale flows of emigrants from among the Tajik youth have been formed, who are trying to find a job, get a higher education and a promising profession abroad, primarily in Russia. The emigration of young people from Tajikistan to Russia and other countries, as a rule, is accompanied by the receipt by Tajik citizens of another education or retraining, recognition of Tajik diplomas, passing appropriate courses in the host countries. Most of Tajik citizens who have gone abroad for training, seek to remain in a permanent place of residence after its completion. In fact, educational migration is turning into a channel of labor migration and brain drain.
Youth migration from Tajikistan will increase in the short and medium term. Regarding the educational migration of young people, it should be noted that every year new opportunities for studying abroad appear with the assistance of the Center for International Programs of the Ministry of Education and Science of Tajikistan on quotas of foreign countries. Also, today, scholarship programs of foreign countries are considered available, which the youth of Tajikistan use to their maximum advantage.
According to research, young people often cannot meet their educational needs due to the lack of competitiveness of the domestic education system [Dustmann, Glitz, 2011]. Therefore, a significant part of them prefers to study abroad. In addition, there are several specialties that cannot be studied in Tajikistan. Only the reform of the educational system in the country can significantly affect the migration mood of young people.
References
Abdusamatov B.B., Bayanova L.N. (2018), "Interaction between Russia and Tajikistan in the field of education", Bulletin of the Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmullah, no. 2(46), pp. 125-130.
Bakhriev B.Kh. (2018), "Soft power and public diplomacy: opportunities for independent Tajikistan", Bulletin of the Tomsk State University, no. 436, pp. 97-105. https://doi.org/10.17223/15617793/436/11
Bobokhonov R.S. (2011), "The Civil war in Tajikistan 1992-1997: causes, course, consequences, and lessons", Social Sciences and modernity, no. 4. pp. 74-83.
Dustmann C., Glitz A. (2011), "Migration and Education", Handbook of the Economics of Education, vol. 4, pp. 329-429.
Kasymova S.R. (2017), Educational migration ofyoungpeople of Tajikistan:problems and prospects. Research report, Center for Gender Education, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 40 p.
Khalid A., Jeffrey S.B., Ira B. (2019), Education, immigration, and migration, Emerald Publishing, Bingley, UK, 303 p.
Liu Qi. (2021), "Difficulties of de-russification in Tajikistan in the field of education", Medicine. Sociology. Philosophy. Applied research, no. 4. pp. 83-88.
Pirnazarova P.A. (2013), "Relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation in the field of education, science, and culture: 1991-2011": Abstr. Diss. ... Cand. Sci. (Hist.): 07.00.02: Ahmadi Donish Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Rizoen Sh. Sh. (2021), "Foreign education of Tajik youth as a two-way resource of soft power", Scientific journal Diskurs-Pi, no. 1 (42), pp. 158-175. https://doi.org/10.24412/1817-9568-2021-1-158-175
Ryazantsev S.V., Akramov Sh.Yu., Rakhmonov A.Kh., Ponomarev E.S. (2018), "Emigration from Tajikistan to OECD countries: trends, consequences, prospects", Scientific Review. Series 1. Economics and law, no. 3-4, pp. 22-34. https://doi.org/10.26653/2076-4650-2018-3-4-03
Zwarthoed D., Culp J. (2018), "Introduction: education and migration", Journal of Global Ethics, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 5-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17449626.2018.1498800
