St Petersburg University strengthens collaboration with the Tianjin University of Technology and Education
A delegation from the Tianjin University of Technology and Education has visited St Petersburg University. The delegation was headed by Lyu Jingquan, Vice-President of the Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Director of the Expert Committee of the Luban Workshop of the Department of Education of the Northern China. During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for the development of partnerships in the field of teacher education and media linguistics and focused on the possibility of signing a cooperation agreement.
Welcoming the guests, Valeriia Malomuzh, Deputy Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University, said that St Petersburg University is one of the leading educational organisations that popularises the study of the Russian language abroad. Currently, over 120 language testing centres of St Petersburg University are successfully operating in more than 50 countries, including various provinces of the People’s Republic of China, where 15 such centres have already been opened.
At the Tianjin University of Technology and Education , we can offer advanced training courses for teachers, Russian language courses for students, and open centres for studying our national language. We are ready to provide support to ensure that cooperation is successful and mutually beneficial for both parties.
Valeriia Malomuzh, Deputy Vice-Rector for International Affairs at St Petersburg University
Among the key issues discussed during the meeting were the need for active development of academic exchange and opening joint double-degree master’s programmes in the field of media linguistics, pedagogical and psychological education. According to Liliia Duskaeva, Professor, Head of the Department of Media Linguistics at St Petersburg University, effective and complete language teaching should be through practical work activities. "Implementing a joint Russian-Chinese programme with Beijing International Studies University, we are preparing specialists in the field of speech communication who know Russian and Chinese. We could attract colleagues from Tianjin University of Technology and Education to conduct joint international research work related to language learning to solve applied tasks," said Liliia Duskaeva.
Chinese colleagues expressed interest in cooperating in the field of studying the Russian language and studying the culture of Russia, including the exchange of students and academic staff, joint projects, seminars, and conferences. Lyu Jingquan announced his readiness to consider different areas for the development of partnerships and focused on the importance of developing a multifaceted approach to cooperation between universities.
We fully agree with your proposals and are ready to actively cooperate in various areas. St Petersburg University is a renowned university not only in Russia, but throughout the world. We are confident that our cooperation will benefit and enrich educational and scientific opportunities for students and academic staff of both educational institutions.
Lyu Jingquan, Vice-President of Tianjin University of Technology and Education
During the meeting, Lyu Jingquan also put forward an initiative to open a joint flagship centre for the Luban Workshop to prepare technical specialists who are able to meet the needs of the country’s industrial and transport sectors according to the high-quality standards. "Now, we hope for a new, most important and largest centre in Russia. We hope it will become the main coordinator of this initiative and guide all other workshops along the path of effective development," said the colleague from the Chinese university.
According to Lyu Jingquan, the opening of the workshop will contribute to the expansion of humanitarian contacts between the partners, introduce new technologies, and give new impetus to the development of China-Russia relations.
"Luban Workshop" is an international brand in the field of vocational education, created and promoted by the Tianjin Municipality under the leadership of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past seven years, Tianjin has established more than 36 centres in 35 countries, forming an international system for training qualified technical personnel, integrating academic education with vocational training.
At the end of the meeting, Lyu Jingquan expressed gratitude for the readiness of St Petersburg University to support all the proposals made and invited colleagues from Russia to visit Tianjin. "We were able to see with our own eyes St Petersburg University, with its rich 300-year history, and we believe that we can learn a lot from you. I hope that our cooperation will be promising, and we will be able to communicate more deeply and build a brand project together," concluded Lyu Jingquan.
As a result of the meeting, the parties made a decision to sign a cooperation agreement between the universities to implement many projects, including academic exchange, educational cooperation and the preparation of joint scholarly publications.