Structural and functional model of network training of scientific and pedagogical personnel among foreign citizens (using the example of interaction between universities in Russia and Sri Lanka)

Introduction. One of the most advanced forms of international cooperation in the field of higher education is the network interaction of universities. Foreign academic staff trained with the participation of Russian universities are becoming an intellectual asset for foreign universities, ready to address the challenges of developing a unified strategy for international cooperation and promoting the Russian language as a tool of "soft power" not only in education but also in other socio-economic spheres. The objective of the study is to develop a structural and functional model for training scientific and pedagogical personnel from among foreign citizens using the example of network interaction between universities in Russia and Sri Lanka, the implementation of which will contribute to the promotion and development of the Russian language abroad. Materials and methods. To assess the level of motivation to study Russian and obtain higher education abroad, a survey was conducted among 105 Sri Lankan university students aged 18 to 30. An analysis of the needs of Sri Lankan universities for network training of scientific and pedagogical personnel, including research topics on general didactic, methodological, cultural, and linguistic issues in teaching Russian, was conducted during an on-site research expedition to Sri Lanka. KEYWORDS Research results. The developed structural and functional model of network training of scientific and pedagogical personnel from among foreign citizens is a combination of organizational-coordinating, educational and certification control components. The results of a survey of Sri Lankan citizens showed an increase in interest in learning Russian and obtaining the next level of higher education in Russia: 68.1% of respondents plan to study at a postgraduate program abroad, and 79.2% of them would prefer to study in Russia, compared to 20.8% who would prefer to study in Sri Lanka or another country. The majority of respondents (77.6%) associate their future research interests with the Russian language and Russian culture. Conclusion. The novelty of this study lies in the development of a structural and functional model of training scientific and pedagogical personnel from among foreign citizens based on network interaction between Russian and Sri Lankan universities. On its basis, private models of network training of scientific and pedagogical personnel from among foreign citizens can be developed for international cooperation between Russian universities and other foreign countries.