Project Office of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia and WYF-2024 Alumni Global Congress: Programmes to Attract Foreign Students to Russian Universities Discussed in Moscow
On September 27, TASS hosted a press conference on the launch of the MGIMO-based Project Office of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia for support and assistance toforeign applicants, students and alumni of Russian higher education institutions.
The press conference featured Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova, MGIMO Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, Social Work and International Relations Stanislav Surovtsev, Head of Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Alimov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov and Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate Daniil Bisslinger.
They discussed programmes to attract foreign students to Russian universities. One of them is the MGIMO-based Project Office of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Its aim is to contribute to strengthening relations with foreign states through humanitarian cooperation, as well as to expand interaction between Russian and foreign students.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova highlighted that the idea to launch the Project Office emerged during the World Youth Festival in Sirius. She also reminded that by the Decree of the Head of State the number foreign students should reach 500,000 by 2030. Deputy Head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education expressed her certainty that this mark can definitely be reached thanks to the experience accumulated so far.
“The World Youth Festival opened a new stage. The preparation for the event and the Festival itself have demonstrated that this work must continue. Foreign students that come to us should be provided with the conditions of studying in a friendly and inviting atmosphere making them fall in love with our country forever. We understand that the practices developed at MGIMO – and in a number of other leading universities that have vast experience of working with foreign students such as MSU, SPbU, RUDN – should be extended to other higher education institutions. This is to make sure that foreign students receive convenient assistance during the adaptation period and that more young people come to us,” noted Olga Petrova.
During the press conference, Advisor on International Affairs to the Head of Rosmolodezh, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate Daniil Bisslinger said that implementation of projects and events on preservation of the Festival legacy brings a massive response from foreign youth to the opportunity of receiving education in Russia.
“Our country’s achievements in youth policy and education are in great demand abroad. Our own experience has proven it – during our business trips to South Africa and Zimbabwe, we met with a lot of young people who’d like to enter Russian universities. The Project Office of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education will allow to create proper conditions for students, it will inform and assist them during their studies. It is important for us to make it so that as many young people abroad as possible know about our leading higher education institutions and educational programmes. The World Youth Festival Directorate will leverage maximum effort to achieve this goal. After all, well-qualified sought-after alumni will help strengthen Russia’s economy, and the foreigners who return to their home countries after completing their studies will become reliable partners in our relations with foreign countries,” said Daniil Bisslinger.
Various WYF Directorate projects contribute to promoting Russian education and presenting the opportunities of the educational system. Among them are integration of international programmes into the work of the Year-round Youth Educational Centers and forums of the Rosmolodezh.Events platform, meetings with ambassadors of foreign countries, as well as the International Friendship Clubs programme where Russia’s regions present regional higher education institutions to foreign youth.
During the press conference, Daniil Bisslinger noted that the MGIMO University, as one of the key partners of the World Youth Festival Directorate in the field of higher education, continues to provide substantial support to the development of the international youth movement. He presented the WYF-2024 Alumni Global Congress which is to be hosted by the MGIMO-based Project Office of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. It will feature 150 Russian and foreign students who have participated in the World Youth Festival. They will attend online educational lectures on themed tracks in the fields of education, neurotechnologies, media, entrepreneurship and youth diplomacy. Then, on November 26–30, they will meet in Moscow and learn about the opportunities for collaboration between Russia and foreign countries as well as prospects for implementation of joint international projects. One can register to participate in the Congress on the official World Youth Festival Directorate website until November 6: https://wyffest.com/en/events
The Congress will also feature the final stage of the 2025 International Youth Forum Co-host City Contest. The Forum will bring together 2,000 young people, including foreign participants. Each Russia’s region can take part in it and apply on the official WYF Directorate website until November 1. Following all the procedures of the qualification round, the Congress participants will determine the winners of the Co-host City and Regional Programmenominations by general vote.
MGIMO Vice-Rector for Youth Policy, Social Work and International Relations Stanislav Surovtsev said that the task of the Project Office of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is to provide assistance to foreign students across all the enrollment and education stages at Russian universities. Head of Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Alimovs aid this project was of strategic importance for the fields of education, youth policy and cultural and humanitarian diplomacy, as well as that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation will offer political and diplomatic assistance to the initiatives aimed at promoting interest in Russian higher education institutions among foreign youth. In turn, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov noted that the Project Office will be a good tool for consolidating best Russian practices of interaction with foreign students.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In the future, the World Youth Festival will become a platform for the development of a permanent international youth movement aimed at creating a just multipolar world. On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the International Youth Festival, and international themed gatherings and events will be held under the auspices of the WYF.
The World Youth Festival is organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh). The WYF-2024 was operated by the World Youth Festival Directorate.