Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2025 number 2

Introduction. The current system of language education in Mongolia focuses on teaching Mongolian - the state language, mother tongue, and English to the younger generations. In the context of contemporary Mongolia, it is imperative to assess the status of bilingual education for ethnic minorities and to elucidate the underlying factors contributing to the prevailing challenges. Methodology. In order to comprehend the challenges posed by bilingual education, it is imperative to explore its interconnection with the evolving socio-economic landscape of Mongolia. This exploration encompasses the nation’s integration into the Soviet system during the 20th century, as well as its subsequent integration into the post-Soviet era’s international division of labor system. The theoretical basis for this was the world-system approach and the theory of geopolitical dynamics developed by R. Collins. Discussion. The bilingual education of ethnic minorities was contingent upon the nature of the larger system, which encompassed Mongolian society. The socialist system functioned relatively autonomously from the world system of division of labor. The sustainability of this system was contingent upon the variety of functions that the included societies were capable of performing. Diversity that promotes sustainability has been achieved in two ways. First, through territorial expansion. In this process, the Russian language and education served to form long-term ties with the societies included in the system. There was not only an economic and cultural rise of Mongolian society, but also its «Russification». Secondly, the diversity of elements was formed by the establishment of ethnic group boundaries, with language being the primary means in this regard. Consequently, favorable conditions were established in Mongolia for the development of small peoples’ languages. Following the dissolution of the socialist system, Mongolia’s language education underwent a reorientation towards the international division of labor, with English assuming a dominant role. Ethnic minority language education projects aim to attract core capital, which requires long-term ties and the willingness of Mongolian society to support it in competition with China. On this basis, the problems of bilingual education of Kazakh and Tuvan ethnic minorities in Bayan-Ulgii aimag are described in detail. Conclusion. The Mongolian state has been able to partially restore the previously established ethnic minority language education system. However, the world-system is entering a period of disintegration that will lead to an exodus of core capital. There is a danger that Mongolia will find itself in networks of unequal exchange with China without any international counterweight to its power, which means that the problems of bilingual education for ethnic minorities will be posed and solved differently.