St Petersburg University Day in Minsk and the results of the literary competition

In 2021/22 academic year, St Petersburg University in cooperation with the Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Belarus (Russian House in Minsk) launched a unique international project for schoolchildren to learn more about the literary heritage of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Belarus and try their hand at preparing research papers. This year, the international competition for research papers was dedicated to the 140th anniversary of Yanka Kupala and the 130th anniversary of Konstantin Paustovsky, whose works were offered for the participants to study. To assist the students, the University professors prepared a special series of lectures devoted to the artistic originality of their literary works (links to the broadcasts are available on the official website of the competition). The Belarusian partner institutions were actively engaged in providing informational and methodological support for the literary competition.

The traditional St Petersburg University Day in the Republic of Belarus was held at the Yanka Kupala Central Library in Minsk. The event also included the awarding ceremony for the winners of the final stage of the international literary competition "Literary destinies of Belarus and Russia: from dialogue to understanding". Schoolchildren from the Russian Federation could participate in the awarding ceremony remotely.

Aleksandr Babich, co-chair of the organising committee of the competition and Senior Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Admissions at St Petersburg University, spoke at the awarding ceremony. ’The history of the peoples of Russia and the Republic of Belarus is reflected in literature. The study of life, creative path and works of Yanka Kupala and Konstantin Paustovsky enables us to see what our brotherly peoples have in common. The contestants have conducted extensive research and, I believe, have discovered something new for themselves. The work to support talented young people is one of the key areas of cooperation between St Petersburg University and educational and cultural institutions in the Republic of Belarus. We express our deep gratitude to our Belarusian partners for their contribution to the organisation and hosting of the competition, and special thanks to our co-organiser, the Russian House in Minsk,’ said Aleksandr Babich.

The ceremony was attended by Eduard Krustkaln, Head of the Russian House in Minsk, Mikhail Koryshev, member of the Organising Committee and Dean of the Faculty of Philology at St Petersburg University, and representatives of the Belarusian partner institutions: Elena Matveeva, Director of Minsk Centralised System of State Public Libraries and Deputy Chairman of the Competition jury; Galina Varenova, Leading Research Associate at the State Literary Museum of Yanka Kupala and Deputy Chair of the appeals committee of the competition; and Ivan Saverchenko, Director of the Yanka Kupala Institute of Literary Studies of the Centre for Belarusian Culture, Language and Literature Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Aleksandr Khurshudian, Head of Admission Directorate of St Petersburg University, held a presentation for Belarusian students at the end of the meeting. During the presentation, the participants learned more about: the University; its scientific and educational potential; intellectual competitions for schoolchildren; the admission procedure for citizens of the Republic of Belarus in 2022; and the recognition of the results of centralised testing for admission to the University. After the presentation, Aleksandr Babich and Aleksandr Khurshudian answered questions raised by the participants.