Who is going to be a new leader in global education
Studying abroad is usually related to personal dreams of a better life. Of course, there has always been a place for common issues like accommodation, career outlook, and so on. But at the end of the day, young people inspired to study abroad just followed their dreams.
And this factor still remains one of the main drivers for choosing a study destination. According to the Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO) study, three countries are projected to retain the global leadership as the most rapidly developed destinations in the post-COVID market — Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However we are somewhere in the middle of the pandemic outbreak and still try to protect from further complications rather than develop a recovery plan. This means that there are many things ahead that can influence the priority list of study destinations depending on countries' success levels of recovering from COVID-19.
Speaking about traditional ways of studying abroad, I forecast that the international market will change significantly in coming months. Aspirants will tend to be more cold-minded as they will need to choose from a very limited number of available study destinations. On top of their standard questions, they will keep in mind several important thoughts like:
  • How country responded to the COVID-19 outbreak?
  • How country plans to recover and provide sustainable protection from potential outbreaks in future?
  • What are the limitations related to visiting the country as a student?
  • How government supports universities in such exceptional circumstances?
Russia has every possibility of overtaking leadership in the global education market due to very responsible and competent actions taken by the Russian authorities. Having supported Russian higher education with lifting restrictions for international students travelling to Russia and providing the "Sputnik V" vaccine which has already been recognized by the international medical society, Russia can fulfil all requirements of international students related to safety and overall satisfaction of studying in Russia.
Mikhail Lazarenko
Director for International Marketing, Education Export Center
Author: Mikhail Lazarenko, Director for International Marketing, Education Export Center.