South Ural State University is promoting the "brand" of the Russian language around the world. At the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 new agreements were signed on the opening of new Pushkin Centres offering education in the Russian language at University of Kokand, Uzbekistan, and Osh State University, Kyrgyzstan. The SUSU Pushkin Institute partnership network has 11 centres of open education in neighbouring countries and far abroad.
Cooperation in academic mobility programs with neighbouring countries within the University of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation supported the development of the partnership network, as did the introduction of joint Bachelor's degree programs.
The decision to open a Pushkin Centre offering education in the Russian language at University of Kokand was made in November 2020 following an online meeting between the SUSU Rector Aleksandr Shestakov and the Rector of University of Kokand, Uzbekistan, Sherzod Mastafakulov. The aim was to discuss the cooperation between universities in education and research.
According to Nuriddin Murodullaev, Head of the Research Department of University of Kokand, "to develop and strengthen the position in research and education, teachers and students of their university need knowledge of the Russian language. The university held a poll on opening a Pushkin Centre for Russian Language Education, and by a majority of votes it was decided to open this centre. One of the tasks is to expand cultural and humanitarian cooperation in education between the two countries. The centre will contribute to strengthening inter-university ties between the two countries. The Russian Language Centre can serve as a platform for professional development courses for teachers, training seminars for students, as well as people from all over the region who wish to gain an education, using modern methodological and educational technologies."
At the request of the partner universities, a professional retraining program on the "Methods of Teaching Russian Language (for foreign nationals)" with the awarding of government-standard diplomas was opened in January.
"The program has 61 students from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Egypt, and Cote d'Ivoire. The students are teachers of Russian language, as well as undergraduate and graduate students who wish to improve their qualification. The courses are taught by highly qualified specialists of the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language," said Iadviga Berezovskaia, Head of the SUSU Pushkin Institute Research, Education and Coordination Centre, Candidate of Sciences (Philology), Associate Professor of Russian as a Foreign Language at the Institute of Linguistics and International Communications.
SUSU began creating its own Pushkin Institute network at partner universities that teach in Russian language in 2018. The goal of developing the network is to promote the national language of Russia on the global educational stage, to form a positive image of our country, and increase its international prestige.
SUSU has provided comprehensive methodological support for foreign academics teaching in Russian since 2014, when specialists from the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language conducted full-time advanced training courses for teachers, Russian language teachers, and subject teachers teaching in Russian abroad.
The expansion of the partnership network and the opening of new centres promotes the Russian language and increases interest in both the language and Russian culture.