St Petersburg University successfully continues to teach Russian to citizens of Zimbabwe
St Petersburg University has launched the third session of teaching Russian as a foreign language in the Republic of Zimbabwe. This project is free of charge. It is organised by the St Petersburg University Language Testing Centre on the initiative of Rector Nikolay Kropachev.
Classes for Zimbabweans are set to begin on 14 March and will run until the end of 2022. The main audience of the course is students of Zimbabwean universities, the Ministry of Home Affairs of Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwean TV channels. The programme of classes is set to prepare students to achieve an elementary level of knowledge of the Russian language (A1).
This year, more than 500 students have been enrolled in classes in an online format. The first session of the course of Russian as a foreign language for citizens of Zimbabwe was attended by 50 students, and the second one — by more than 200.
In addition to Zimbabwe, St Petersburg University offers courses of Russian as a foreign language in Latvia and Greece.
According to Dmitry Ptyushkin, Director of the St Petersburg University Language Testing Centre, students are actively engaged in classes and in informational meetings about the history and culture of Russia organised by the University. Additionally, in 2021, several dozen Zimbabwean citizens applied for the Preparatory Course (for Foreign Citizens) at St Petersburg University to be enrolled in the University’s bachelor’s programmes.
Language courses are the first project of the Russian university in Zimbabwe over the past 30 years. These classes are much in demand, which ensures that we can scale up the project and organise similar courses in other African countries.
Dmitry Ptyushkin, Director of the Language testing Centre at St Petersburg University
After easing the restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, full-time training will be organised for course participants at the Zimbabwe Institute of Diplomacy, said Dmitry Ptyushkin. ’This seems to be especially in demand due to the fact that the quality of the Internet connection in Zimbabwe is unstable. Many students interested in studying and passing the final certification (TORFL) cannot therefore join the course,’ explained Dmitry Ptyushkin. The classes will be conducted by experts residing in the country and selected for professional training at St Petersburg University and subsequent full-time teaching within this project.