Reсonfiguring Education in a Changing World: Russia–China Dialogue Takes Place in Beijing
The forum was organised by the HSE Institute of Education and the Graduate School of Education at Peking University, who have collaborated for over a decade.
The date of the forum was symbolic in several ways. Taking place on Russia Day, it built on the momentum of the Russia–China Cross Years of Education (2026–2027), a major bilateral initiative launched by the leaders of the two countries in Beijing in May. The forum turned this high-level commitment into practical academic cooperation, bringing together researchers from leading universities in both countries, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, the Beijing Institute of Technology and HSE University, to discuss challenges shared by both education systems.
It is highly symbolic that we opened the forum on Russia Day in Beijing, among our friends and partners,” said Maksim Nikitin, Deputy Dean for Global Engagement at the HSE Institute of Education. “Just a few weeks ago, the Cross Years of Education were launched at the highest level. Our task is to fill this framework with meaningful academic dialogue. The idea behind this forum was simple: to transform many years of cooperation between our institutes into continuous research collaboration, including joint projects, publications, PhD student exchanges and the exchange of ideas.”
As higher and vocational education are reshaped by economic restructuring, technological change, demographic pressures, and new policy agendas, the forum offered a shared space for comparative reflection on how these systems in Russia and China are evolving. Therefore, rather than summarising achievements, the forum aimed to create a space for comparative analysis, exploring what the two countries have in common, how their experiences differ, and where they can learn from each other.
The programme was organised around three key areas reflecting major current transformations in education.
Higher Education and Society. The first session, which was moderated by Ksenia Vilkova (Centre of Sociology of Higher Education), focused on the role of universities in a changing world. Participants discussed how higher education institutions balance preparing graduates for the labour market with their broader social and academic mission, and how educational reforms can be incorporated into national development strategies.
Vocational & Higher Education. The second session, prepared by Vera Maltseva and Maksim Nikitin (Centre for Skills and Vocational Education Development), explored the evolving relationship between vocational and higher education.
Participants discussed the emergence of more flexible learning pathways, new forms of cooperation with employers and hybrid training models, and the implications of these changes for education systems as a whole.
The discussion was based on our recent research into the vocationalisation of higher education,” said Vera Maltseva, Director of the Centre for Skills and Vocational Education Development. “We have been working closely with our colleague, Professor Po Yang from Peking University, on these topics. An interesting contrast emerges when we compare Russia and China: in Russia, we observe the vocationalisation of higher education itself, while in China, a separate sector of higher vocational education is developing. Comparing these trajectories helps us to understand which processes are universal and which are shaped by national contexts.”
Doctoral Education. The final session focused on doctoral education, with presentations by Svetlana Zhuchkova, Danila Pavlyuk, Elena Tarasova, and Evgeniy Terentev (Centre of Sociology of Higher Education).
The discussion examines doctoral education as a key site where academic systems reproduce themselves, build research capacity, and position their universities globally. The session drew on findings from the HSE University international academic cooperation project “Transformation of Doctoral Education in China and Russia.”
The forum not only provided a platform for exchanging ideas and expertise, but also represented another step towards strengthening cooperation between Russia and China in education. Next year, the partners plan to resume the summer school on higher education at the HSE Institute of Education, which had been held in Saint Petersburg for many years.
This forum is about trust built up over many years,” emphasised Evgeniy Terentev, Dean of the HSE Institute of Education. “The value of such meetings lies primarily in creating sustainable and meaningful connections between researchers. It was particularly interesting to see how education systems develop in different national contexts. Behind visible differences, we often find many common challenges, and comparing them helps us to better understand our own trajectories. I would like to thank the Graduate School of Education at Peking University sincerely for its support and warm hospitality. We highly value and respect our colleagues' research and believe that the partnership between HSE University and Peking University has a bright future with many opportunities for further collaboration.”
