SPbU and Indonesia develop academic exchange
A delegation from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia and the Financial Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia visited St Petersburg University. The visit included discussion of promising areas of cooperation.
Welcoming the guests, Valeria Malomuzh, SPbU’s Deputy Vice-Rector for International Affairs, noted that St Petersburg University is not only the first university in Russia, but is also included in federal and international rankings of leading universities. She added that SPbU is a classical university with a full range of studies from physics, maths and science to humanities and creative arts.
Valeria Malomuzh emphasised that international relations are particularly important for SPbU: the university has more than 590 agreements with universities in over 80 countries. The university has more than 5,000 international students, including students from the Republic of Indonesia.
Veronika Koitova, Head of the Department of International Educational Cooperation at SPbU, spoke about the process of adaptation of foreign students at SPbU. She noted that through the Buddy Programme, international students are assigned mentors from the university who accompany them from their first meeting at the airport, to getting to know the city and the university, to helping them navigate everyday life. The role of a "guide" allows Russian students to develop intercultural communication skills and improve their foreign language skills, while foreign students feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar country.
In 2018, SPbU and the University of Indonesia signed a protocol on student exchange, and in 2022 a co-operation agreement was signed with Muhammadiyah Malang University.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed plans for academic exchanges for the effective education of students. ‘We are interested in developing links that will allow future professionals to do internships in companies and businesses. This will enable students to gain work experience and an understanding of how manufacturing processes work,’ the delegates stressed.
Colleagues from Indonesia also made an offer to join the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards, a scholarship programme established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, which is open to Indonesian students participating in academic mobility programmes at foreign partner universities.