Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In late November, Heilongjiang University hosted the first international symposium "Russian Language Specialization," dedicated to joint personnel training. The event, co-sponsored by Heilongjiang and Novosibirsk State Universities, brought together over 130 scholars and experts from China and Russia. The symposium discussed new approaches to educational cooperation between the two countries.
"At the China-Russia Institute, established jointly by NSU and Heilongjiang University in 2011, Chinese students are taught in Russian. In recent years, we have seen a decline in Russian language proficiency. This process began during the pandemic, when a sharp decline occurred due to the widespread transition to online learning, and the situation has remained unchanged since then. Our colleagues from other joint institutes have noted the same trends. Therefore, it was necessary to organize a discussion within the professional community to understand the challenges facing joint student training and how they can be addressed," said Evgeny Sagaydak, Head of the Education Export Department at NSU, describing the idea for the forum.
The Chinese heads of nearly all joint institutes with Russia—27 to date—were invited to the symposium. Twenty-two experts from leading universities in both countries presented their research and projects, including Heilongjiang University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Northeast Normal University, Jiangsu Normal University, Novosibirsk State University, and Far Eastern Federal University. Their presentations focused on the practice of joint student education and the development of educational programs that combine specialized fields with Russian language studies.
"The symposium can be considered a success: we agreed to make it an annual event. Next time, it will be held in Novosibirsk and coincide with the 15th anniversary of our Sino-Russian Institute, organized jointly with Heilongjiang University. The Institute was the first to implement an innovative model of joint training between the two universities. Since then, this model of collaboration has become the benchmark and is being used by other universities in China and Russia," said Evgeny Sagaydak.
Symposium participants also agreed to establish an association of joint institutes established by universities in Russia and China. This will be an informal association of universities, the goal of which is to improve educational cooperation between the two countries. The new association's regulations are currently being drafted; after discussion with the Chinese side and approval, a work plan for next year will be developed.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.