Expansion of Grant-Based (Scholarship Programs) Globalization in Education

INTRODUCTION

Significant changes are well-known to be currently occurring due to the four "i-factors" - internationalization, integration, informatization, and innovation, all of these form a phenomenon of modern times - globalization (Ignatiev & Varlamova, 2021). Driving transformations in the world community politics, economics, environment, culture, and social area, it consistently influences all spheres of human life, education in particular (Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė et al., 2021; Schmidt et al., 2021; Cherepanova, 2022). However, Jane Knight, a professor at the University of Toronto (Canada), rightly remarks that globalization is not so much a driver but a form of interaction between civilizations, a challenge of our time that drives economics, knowledge, and technology to go beyond national borders, creating a new introspective focus for interstate interaction (Knight, 2004). A relevant example of the focus is the education export, which is on the one hand a powerful tool to build economic potential and expand influence on other countries, and on the other hand - the focus of multicultural collaboration (Kachyan & Kuidina, 2021).

To date, wide experience of interstate educational cooperation has been accumulated. In recent years, many countries, interstate communities, universities, and other education ecosystem members have recognized the importance of academic (student) mobility and have focused on grant (scholarship) programs as a tool for its development to support talented youth financially and/or socially (Li et al., 2019; Rasool et al., 2019). Justification is the idea that investing in education contributes to the increase in human capital, which in the long run secure a positive economic and social effect on the state (Becker, 1975; Dassin et al., 2018). However, due to well-known circumstances, practically all parties involved in organizing and implementing academic (student) mobility programs in one way or another, had to change the growth path of the global educational agenda (Kvitko, 2020).

Undoubtedly, the relationship mechanism has been to a certain extent recovered two years after the pandemic began. Recovery has been largely due to timely decisions and actions taken by public authorities and other large stakeholders (Sorokina & Hanina, 2021). Notably, in 2021, despite the borders closed, one could apply for study programs at the University of Bradford (UK), LLM (International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights) (Switzerland), Central European University (Hungary), Xiamen University (China), Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands), etc. The regional programs include Erasmus + Activity 2: Innovations and Best Practices, TEMPUS, ENI CBC 2014-2020, etc. Along with that, enhancing international education cooperation to improve its globalization system under the new reality, as well as eliminating barriers and impediments to using human capital effectively is still under consideration.

The article aims to analyze trends and prospects for further education globalization based on interstate grant (scholarship) programs, with regards to the changes the pandemic has brought in. To achieve the aim, the following tasks should be solved: firstly, to study historical and theoretical foundations of academic (student) mobility programs as a tool to globalize education; secondly, to analyze interstate scholarship program and grant performance in the context of the evolving education globalization; thirdly, to provide recommendations to further develop the mechanism with regards to current conditions and current problems in human capital use.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To achieve the goal and objectives, the following research methods were applied: general scientific (dialectical, analysis and synthesis of literature data available, comparisons and analogies, annotating, note-taking, and referencing to data obtained from modern scientific sources), special (system, comparative analysis, etc.). The main sources of data involved major works and publications by Russian and foreign scientists and analysts. These works and publications studied various aspects of education globalization and its components, current problems, and trends in academic (student) mobility, with regards to the new real conditions in particular; Data sources also involved portals and other Internet resources that provide up-to-date information on existing national and international grant (scholarship) programs; news and published media notes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Education globalization is generally agreed to have been logically and naturally caused by the overall globalization process as an initiative to create the world’s unified educational space, known as the Bologna process (Khairutdinov, 2021). We believe that this is not the case when the European higher education system is considered, historically established heterogeneous systems are harmonized by integrating common European standards that are focused to unify educational practices, facilitating international cooperation, and expand of the academic mobility mechanism. In our opinion, this position is only partly true; many outstanding Russian scientists of the XIX century are known to study at German universities, while first-class education has always implied studying at foreign universities. Considering education globalization as a structured phenomenon, the chief researcher of the Higher School of Economics I.D. Frumin remarks that being a primary i-factor, internationalization developed in the late 60-es of the 20^th century, "when satellites appeared and when the US leadership elite raised the question to use Soviet education models in natural sciences and mathematics. That was the time when Berkeley University received a special governmental grant to translate and publish more than 40 books written by Soviet mathematicians and methodologists <... > Today, the US experts in mathematical education can refer to the classic authors who we [in Russia] no longer remember." At about the same time, comparative education is getting increased interest, first international studies on education development involving more than 80 states appeared. I.D. Frumin correctly remarks that "for globalization, not only what the country gives to the world is important, but what it takes from foreign practice as well" (Saltykova, 2010).

Focusing on academic (student) mobility in the COVID times, W. Strielkowski et al. (2021) postulate a new system of education globalization that has unprecedentedly combined all i-factors, although internationalization is still fundamental (2021). In our opinion, the given factor concept is very accurately described at the beginning of the third decade of the XXI century by Ulrich Teichler, the professor at the International Center for Higher Education Research (Kassel University, USA). He assumes that internationalization is a set of events with equal partnership at the base; "due to heterogeneously occurred phenomena, internationalization implies not only variability in crossing upward borders, but rather significant changes: firstly, from the predominantly" vertical " cooperation and mobility model towards the prevalence of equal international relations; secondly, from casuistic actions to systematic internationalization policies; thirdly, from the cut-off of specific international events to the internationalization of core activities towards the integrated education internationalization "(Тeichег & Kehm, 2011; Baigonussova et al., 2021).

The education globalization system, particularly under the current conditions, is now developed through interstate grant (scholarship) programs which many countries introduce to study offline and online, through an internship at national universities. The driving force for these programs are the governments, program coordinators are country embassies, the Ministry of Education, or specialized representatives of the state, for example, the British Council, the German Academic Exchange Service (DDAD), the French agency (Campus France), etc. Content analysis of the offers given by Russian and foreign universities made it possible to classify grant (scholarship) programs by goals and objectives, by source and volume of funding, by target audience, by funding goals and duration, by selection justification (Table 1).

Currently, despite COVID-19 restrictions, many developed and developing countries continue to initiate state support measures in the form of grant (scholarship) programs for training (advanced training, internship) in foreign countries, both for native citizens and foreigners (Enkhtur, 2018; Wiers-Jenssen & Støren, 2020; Alshihri et al., 2021). This is due to the desire of countries to develop and increase national human capital, which according to Latova (2011) is the key priority for both domestic and foreign socio-economic policies of the state under the intellectual economy of the 21st century (2011).

Table 1. Classification of interstate grant (scholarship) programs (Compiled by the author using sources: Kent, 2018; Cosentino et al., 2019; Ryazantsev et al., 2021)

According to the OECD, a student brings twice as much profit as the income invested in higher education (OECD, 2014). Moreover, innovative knowledge and experience gained by students abroad can undoubtedly contribute to improved social and economic performance in their homeland (Campbell, 2017; Deardorff et al., 2018). In general, as Farivar et al. (2019) fairly states, academic mobility programs are economically beneficial to the state since grants (scholarships) for training in foreign educational organizations allow obtaining high-quality education, which, on the one hand, will also contribute to the cultural and educational community growth, and on the other hand expanding international cooperation in arts and humanities (2019), which we believe is particularly important under current conditions.

It is beneficial for the state to provide financial support for citizens who seek to get an education and develop certain professional competencies in foreign institutions and return finally to their homeland. However, the trends show that the final stage of the mobility algorithm is not implemented. For example, according to the UN report published on Wednesday, an increasing number of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently considering leaving the country and have no intention to return. 5,000 young people were interviewed in early 2021 in a survey conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The survey showed that almost half of respondents (47%) considered emigration, while almost a quarter of respondents (24%) considered emigrating permanently (Sandford, 2021). A similar study was conducted in September 2020 by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center. It was revealed that every sixth Russian would like to emigrate from Russia permanently (Myasnikova, 2020). Experts engaged in both institutions emphasize that these are highly qualified young specialists mainly.

Along with that, one cannot ignore the fact that students’ competition in the international education market is continuously growing. A huge number of interstate grants (scholarships) draw talented applicants (as well as graduate students, doctoral candidates, researchers) out of the countries with poorly developed information economies, high-tech production, and the overall lack of opportunities for graduates to build their career strategies that meet their expectations and needs. As a result, any national model to internationalize education should include measures to motivate its citizens to return to their motherland after getting educated in a foreign country, which is mostly determined by the remaining globalization elements - other i-factors, which are integration, informatization, innovation. Thus, it is assumed that having formulated a relevant national "4I" ecosystem, the state can seek to be a leader in the "world program" of education globalization, with interstate grant (scholarship) programs at its core in particular.

In the 70-es of the 20^th century, J. W. Fulbright, the American senator, a founder of the international educational grant program, said that "educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing to international relation humanization more than any other communication form". For example, the British Council in Russia is implementing some projects aimed to strengthen effective cooperation in higher education between Russia and Great Britain. The Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Russia collaborates with the university management, teachers, scientists, graduate students, and students, as well as government institutions in both countries to build a bilateral dialogue and an intensive exchange of experience. Indeed, in addition to the effective capital return on investing in the education of young people, the host country not only gets the benefit of a "soft power" in establishing inter-state cooperation but also increases national human capital. Notably, both recipient and contributing countries may benefit from their cooperative pioneering to the education globalization system. Bilateral contact is built due to national education export strategies (Shchukina, 2019). Relevant examples include Australia - New Colombo Plan, Germany - DAAD Strategy 2025, China - China Scholarship Council + World Class University 2022-2023; Japan - Go Global Japan, France - National Strategy for Higher Education; USA - Generation Study Abroad (not Government), UK - UK Strategy for outward mobility; France - National Strategy for Higher Education, Netherlands - Government's vision on the internationalization of higher education, etc.

Most current interstate (scholarship) programs predetermine the education quality requirements of their applicants. For example, back in 2008, the Chilean government launched an ambitious BECAS grant (scholarship) program aimed to develop advanced human capital and fundamental knowledge areas. In the period from 2008 to 2021, this program provided more than twenty thousand people with financial assistance to obtain academic degrees in the world’s best universities. Program developers relied on the idea that foreign universities provide high-quality educational services and used data from reputable rating agencies in Europe - Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE) and QS World University Rankings, USA - U.S. News, Asia - Shanghai Rating, to determine the list of best institutions in which grant-holders can study. Creating the list of the best educational institutions fairly increases the chances to obtain a high-quality education and innovative knowledge, chances to invest in students reasonably.

A similar opinion is held by Russia: foreign universities are among the top 300 universities listed in two of the three university rankings: Academic Ranking of World Universities, QS World University Rankings, THE. In 2013, the Russian government initiated a new state grant program "Global Education" for people to study in 288 of them (Figure 1). It was positioned as a form of social support for young people who entered and studied at the world’s leading universities and were obliged to subsequently (for three years) work for Russian companies engaged in the program, to "retain and increase scientific, pedagogical, medical personnel in social services." The program was operated by the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo. The 2014-2018 program quota amounted to 739 people and covered 5 key areas: medicine, engineering, education, science, and social management. A grant of 2.7 million rubles per year (3.76 billion rubles totally) was allocated to be trained in master's degree programs (1-2 years), graduate school, and medical residency (3 or more years). The project was supposed to be completed in 2018, but some scholarship holders refused to take grants and the project was prolonged until 2019 inclusive. In 2020, the program was prolonged until 2025.

The impact of education globalization through the use of inter-state grants (scholarships) largely depends on the existing "cluster" mechanism of interaction between the government, business, program (fund) founders, and universities, which will provide employment opportunities for those participating in special programs. For example, international employers note the benefits of the Volkswagen Foundation programs (Germany), emphasizing that graduates bring new knowledge to their workplaces which are crucial in creating expert skills and experience.

The Fund provides financial support for innovative research and assists academic institutions to improve structural conditions for their operation. In particular, the Fund’s mission is to support ambitious young academy students and promote cross-subject and international cooperation (Iammarino et al., 2019). In his study, A.C. Campbell asserts that Georgian and Moldovan grant holders who graduated from foreign universities see their contribution to national development through working in governmental, public, and higher education institutions, etc. (2017), while participants in the Science Without Borders Challenge program (Annapolis, USA) return to Brazil and use the knowledge they gained abroad to improve academic development in Brazil's backward regions (McManus & Nobre, 2017).

An equally important criterion for the effectiveness of interstate grant (scholarships) education globalization is to motivate a graduate of a foreign university to return to their homelands and make a long-term unique contribution to national development. A particular state is known to have highly competitive industries that can provide progressive career growth to a specialist. If a graduate who studied in a foreign institution and is obliged to work a certain number of years in the foreign country holds a position in a company operating in a weak, low-innovation industry, it is likely that after the end of the term established by the grant (scholarship) program, the graduate will leave the country seeking better working conditions. An example is the discussed earlier BECAS program when the Government of Chile faced the same problem. The state was not ready to reintegrate highly qualified graduates into the local labor market, due to the lack of jobs and the required infrastructure (Nunez-Parra & Ramos, 2014). To avoid it, the countries participating in globalizing education determined education trends following national (sectoral) labor market needs. For example, an international training program on minimally invasive urological operations at Columbia University was supported by the US Government and initiated due to the lack of narrowly focused specialists in urology in Japan (Global Health Student Guidebook, 2021). Foreign students are offered to study a program at the University of Hokkaido (Slavic Research Center), but admission involves applicants who specialize in studying the countries of the former USSR and Eastern Europe. Many countries, such as Sweden (Swiss National Science Foundation grants), have a more strategic approach: they first determine the several-year need for highly qualified personnel having foreign education in specialized industries, then universities are selected based on rating and the criteria, then interstate grant (scholarship) programs are initiated.

In addition, the motivation of the recipient company, the one included in the grant (scholarship) program, in particular, can be referred to as the criteria for effective education globalization with interstate grants (scholarships) at the core. Today, a fairly common problem is that graduates of foreign universities participating in these programs have no practical skills and specific experience in general, particularly due to the current remote education trend. This may have an exponential anti-effect - a specialist will not be able to plan a career strategy or will be out of a job, a company will lose a certain share of profit and further growth within the industry, the state will gain less budget income, will not achieve the expected results under the grant (scholarship) program, etc. The solution to the problem is the warranty given by recipient companies to ensure young specialists with labor adaptation (training, development, internships, etc.). Notably, the initiative is enshrined in the Global Education program as one of the tasks: "Creating mechanisms to ensure employment for Program participants in the employer’s company." Unfortunately, employment is not given in practice; the participant coordination procedure within the Program with the Operator (LSU Skolkovo) mentions employment assistance only. There are many similar examples. Governments and/or interstate grant (scholarship) program coordinators should probably supplement the educational process with internships, held let us say in the last semester, or extend the program duration of a foreign student to form the required practical professional competencies. From this perspective, the education globalization with grant (scholarship) programs at the core will produce the corresponding effect and result.

CONCLUSION

Based on the study carried out, it can be concluded that inter-state grant (scholarship) programs are a powerful tool to globalize education. Of course, benefit the countries participating in the process could be certainly achieved only if sustainable "4I" is created - a national educational ecosystem built on cluster relationships, where government, business, non-profit organizations - program initiators (coordinators), universities will cooperate on mutually beneficial terms, not neglecting their obligations.

Specifically, we are talking about: firstly, a clear understanding of the country's demand for staff with specialist skills; secondly, selecting based on the university rating that can form and sufficiently develop student’s professional competencies; thirdly, regulation of the requirements to grant (scholarship) program coordinators to fully assist and support foreign specialists newly arrived at a new place of work in the contributing country; fourthly, determining capabilities of recipient companies (and selecting from the program list based on this criterion accordingly)  – to employ a graduate of a foreign university and give the practical skills required. This will motivate the graduate to stay working, grow and develop the relevant industry, which will allow the state to increase human capital, develop opportunities and public goods in national culture, economy, social services, expand humanitarian cooperation. The ultimate goal of the "algorithm" in case of no "failures" is the progress in the education globalization system.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: None

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