MOSCOW – Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) is set to open Russian language learning centers on the islands of Fiji and Guam, the university’s president Sergei Ivanets, said on Thursday at the Third APEC Conference on Cooperation in Higher Education.
“The expansion of scientific, research and educational cooperation remains a priority for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and internationalisation plays a key role in this cooperation,” said Mr Ivanets.
“In the framework of such co-operation, our university is set to open Russian language learning centers for the local populations of Guam and Fiji. Both sides have expressed an interest and we are currently in negotiations with the local authorities. We expect to sign the necessary agreements this year.”
Similar centers are already operating in China and the students tend to apply to study at FEFU afterwards.
The president also added that the university encouraged exchange programs with educational establishments within the Asia-Pacific region. Since the start of the conference, an agreement on a student exchange program has been signed with one of the South Korean universities.
Mr Ivanets also added that the number of foreign students who had enrolled at FEFU this year had doubled from 600 to 1200. The administration of the university therefore hopes the number will increase to 7500 by 2019, or a total of 25 per cent of the total number of students.
The Third APEC Conference on Cooperation in Higher Education opened on Thursday on Vladivostok’s Russky Island.
