dyton mupawaenda
Bulawayo Bureau
THE Russian Federation has expressed interest in popularising the learning of its language in Zimbabwe and would engage the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development for possible partnership in its adoption.
The programme is spearheaded by officials from Saint Petersburg University (SPbU) who landed in the country on Monday and will start engagements today.
Zimbabwe and Russia have enjoyed cordial bilateral relations from pre-independence times and more than 1 000 local students are learning in Russian universities. The learning of the Russian language is an advantage for those who intend to study in Russian institutions.
Recent statistics show that trade relations between Zimbabwe and Russia are on a positive trajectory as the two states collaborate on many fronts.
SPbU senior official, Ms Daria Averyanova, is leading the visiting delegation and they are expected to start official engagements to attract Zimbabweans to learn the Russian language.
She said the engagements would seek to unlock possible partnerships between the ministry and her university.
“Tomorrow I will be conducting an exam in Russian as a foreign language for participants in the online course at St. Petersburg University.
“On Thursday we are planning events for schoolchildren and for students. I will talk about our university, our online courses, education in Russia, and life in Russia,” said Ms Averyanova.
“The purpose of the business trip is to conduct educational and awareness-raising activities, in particular, lectures on higher education in Russia, as well as to conduct a test of Russian as a foreign language (TORFL) for the students of the Russian language course organised by SPbU.”
She said students who pass the examination will receive an international certificate as a confirmation of the achieved level of knowledge.
Ms Averyanova said this is part of the broader strengthening of relations of Russia with African countries.
She said Zimbabwe became Africa’s first country to adopt the introduction of the Russian language in 2021 and they want to build from the already existing relationship.
“Zimbabwe became the first African country in which SPbU opened a course to learn Russian from scratch. As part of this project, since 2021 Zimbabwean citizens have been studying Russian in a distance format on a free-of-charge basis.
“As a final certification on the course, students take a state test in Russian as a foreign language (hereinafter-TORFL) at the university. Also, on 19 November 2022 the first face-to-face session of TORFL in Africa was organised in Zimbabwe,” she said.
Ms Averyanova said other countries that have since introduced the language are South Africa, Algeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Niger, Gambia and Tanzania.
She said highly qualified SPbU professors teach African students the Russian language through online and face-to-face courses freely.
Online Reporter