Altai State University to open the Center of the Russian language and Russian education on the basis of Altai Academy in Mongolia

Scientists and specialists from the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University will take part in the opening of the Center for the Russian Language and Russian Education on the basis of Altai Academy, a large non-state educational institution in the capital of the Bayan-Ölgii aimag of Western Mongolia. The decision to open the Center became one of the points of the agreement on cooperation in the field of science, education and culture between Altai State University and the Altai Academy.

In early August, a delegation of Altai State University, consisting of Alexander Dunts, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Innovative Development of Altai State University, and Lidia Dmitrieva, Head of the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language of the Institute of Humanities of Altai State University, took part in a regular meeting of the International Coordinating Council "Our Common Home – Altai", held in one of administrative centers of Mongolia – the city of Ölgii. Within the framework of the meeting, preliminary negotiations were held between the representatives of Altai State University and the leadership of Altai Academy, one of the results of which was the decision to make a return visit to Altai State University of Director of Altai Academy Berikbol Akebay.

During the meeting of Mr.Akebay with colleagues from AltSU, further areas of cooperation based on mutually beneficial and expedient conditions were discussed; after which the negotiation of the agreement took place, in which Roman Raikin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Development of Altai State University, Berikbol Akebay, Director of Altai Academy, Lidiya Dmitrieva, Head of the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language of Altai State University, Ksenia Melekhova, Deputy Director for student enrollment, recruiting and employment of Altai State University, and others took part.

“The establishment of cooperation with Altai Academy is certainly very promising. During the negotiations, we discussed the main areas of cooperation and identified specific steps to take in the near future,” said Roman Raikin, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Development of AltSU. “First of all, we are talking about the creation of the Center for the Russian Language and Russian Education at Altai Academy under the patronage of Altai State University. Students of the Academy will have the opportunity to learn Russian using specialized methodological materials developed by the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language of the Institute of Humanities. Specialists of the Department will provide consulting assistance to the teachers of the Academy in remote and full-time modes and will come to conduct classes on a regular basis. AltSU will provide the graduates of the Academy with its digital resources to prepare for entering our university in various areas of training. Internships for Mongolian teachers, summer and winter schools for students will be organized. In turn, our university is interested in holding field events and practices for our students on the basis of Altai Academy in such areas as art history, linguistic and regional studies, tourism, geography, and the study of biological diversity.”

Altai State University, as a supporting center for cross-border cooperation in the Greater Altai macro-region, interacts with educational and scientific organizations of Western Mongolia on a regular basis, having trained a significant number of specialists for the scientific and educational sector of the neighboring state.

“Altai State University appeared in my life 15 years ago, when I arrived in Barnaul and became a student of Lidia Dmitrieva. Now I have returned here as the head of an educational organization to establish strong mutually beneficial cooperation between my institution and Altai State University, within which we will strive to improve the level of knowledge of the Russian language among Mongolian students and schoolchildren. To this end, we plan to hold Russian language olympiads in Mongolia, organize summer and winter schools in various scientific and educational areas, such as the Russian language, art, biodiversity, tourism, and so on. We plan to exchange specialists and provide opportunities for scientific internships for teachers, staff and students, holding international scientific and practical forums, symposiums, scientific conferences and much more. We have big plans to implement,” summed up Director of Altai Academy, Berikbol Akebay.