Photo: Boboev Shamsudin

ST. PETERSBURG - June 21 /GNEWS-CZ – Nikolay Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPGU, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Elena Kazakova, and Alexander Babich, held a press conference in St. Petersburg at the TASS news agency. Nikolay Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPSU and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, delivered the opening remarks. In his address, he reviewed the progress since 2023, when St. Petersburg University, with the support of the Office of the Government and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, launched a special educational project for Russian-speaking students from around the world – the SPbU Online School. Participants at the press conference at TASS reported on the results of the first year of studies and the admission conditions for the new academic year. Students from 30 countries have improved their academic performance at the SPbU Online School.

Nikolay Mikhailovich Kropachev, Rector of SPGU, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences

"The 'SPbU Online School' was created with the support of Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and member of the SPSU Board of Trustees, and Sergei Kravtsov, Minister of Education of the Russian Federation. Its prototype was a project launched in Latvia in 2018 in the form of continuing education through weekend courses. In the first year of its implementation, lectures were only given in three subjects: 'Russian Language,' 'Russian Literature,' and 'History of Russia,' and 70 students in their final years of study attended the classes. Over six years, the geography has expanded to 25 countries, and the number of participants has increased 43-fold, exceeding 3,000 students by the 2023/2024 academic year.

As emphasized by the university rector, Nikolay Mikhailovich Kropachev, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the university managed to create a full-fledged online school in 2023. The project has generated great interest among foreign students and parents: the university received nearly 300 applications from children from 44 countries, with almost three applicants per place. The selection process resulted in the admission of 120 students from 30 countries. Despite the prevalence of distance learning, SPSU's experience is unique: no other organization has previously taken responsibility for enrolling students in general education programs, after which they receive a state certificate.

"After a year, we can confidently say that the SPSU Online School project has been successful. It is in demand and serves as a guide to Russian education, Russian culture, and values around the world," said Nikolay Mikhailovich. - I am pleased to announce that we are actively working to expand the list of participants in our project. This year, seven universities have announced their readiness to join this movement. This means that it will continue not only in St. Petersburg but also in other cities of Russia." In 2023, the university opened a number of elementary school classes, from 5th to 9th grade, as well as a 10th-grade class. The project is implemented using funds from the commercial activities of SPSU.


As Nikolay Kropachev emphasized, the curriculum aligns with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards, and instruction is provided in all areas of the school program (more than 40). The school has decided not to enroll students in the final year (11th grade), as one of the main goals of the online school is to address gaps in the knowledge of students who have received education in various countries. Students underwent comprehensive entrance tests in Russian and mathematics, which allowed us to assess their overall level and preparedness for studying in the selected class. Some students were recommended to enter a lower grade due to significant differences in their previous programs. Consequently, one class with 20 students was opened in each parallel (grade level).

"The purpose of our project is to provide children who speak Russian well with the opportunity to receive a quality education while studying at the Academic Gymnasium of St. Petersburg State University, leveraging modern digital technologies. We are accepting students not so much into an 'online school' as into a gymnasium, and from the first day of school, we strive to involve children in its life," explained Elena Kazakova, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy at St. Petersburg State University, and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Education.

The teachers of the online school are teachers from the D.K. Fadeyev Academic Gymnasium of St. Petersburg State University, as well as scientific and pedagogical staff from St. Petersburg State University, who have experience working with schoolchildren (a total of more than 70 people). More than 70% of them hold academic degrees of Candidate of Sciences and Doctor of Sciences. Foreign students have a class teacher and a mentor who supports their studies, just like students at the Academic Gymnasium of SPSU. Students at SPSU Online School participate in intellectual competitions, as well as thematic weeks at the Academic Gymnasium and other extracurricular activities. Many of them plan to visit Russia during the summer holidays.

Elena Kazakova noted that after enrollment, most students tried to maintain their studies, but during the school year, many of them decided to study only at SPSU Online School. Only 28 students returned to their previous educational institutions: some decided not to take the risk, while for others, it turned out that their level of preparation was not high enough to successfully complete the program. Currently, there is a competition for vacant places in the existing classes, and a new fifth grade will be formed. So far, approximately 150 applications have been received from foreign nationals from 30 countries for about 40 places. As in the previous year, they will be offered to take a comprehensive entrance test that assesses their knowledge of Russian and mathematics.
The Director of the Institute of Pedagogy at SPSU also pointed out that this year, for the first time, the university, in accordance with its current powers, organized a state examination for students in the ninth grades of the online school. The children successfully passed the exams, and 14 students received a state certificate of completion of the basic general education program at St. Petersburg State University. The documents will be presented to the students on June 27.

"We launched this project so that anyone who speaks Russian, regardless of where they live, knows that they have the opportunity to receive a quality education in Russian, which will allow them to enter one of the best universities in the world - St. Petersburg State University, or another university of their choice."


Elena Kazakova, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy at St. Petersburg State University

All students who attended classes at the SPSU online school have improved their academic performance by the end of the academic year: their average grade has increased by a full grade. According to Alexander Babich, the first vice-rector for youth policy and organization of the admissions process at SPSU, the university's teachers objectively assessed the results primarily to properly structure their teaching and methodological work. "The 'SPSU Online School' is one of many international educational projects that the university is implementing," said Alexander Babich. According to data from Rossotrudnichestvo, SPSU has been the most popular university among all Russian universities among foreign citizens for six years. We accept applicants from 140 countries, with 21 applicants per budget place, and this year, based on tuition fees, there will be approximately 5 applicants per place. This demonstrates that the university is engaged in extensive educational activities." For example, since 2020, SPSU has been offering in-person and distance learning courses in the Russian language for various categories of citizens in 18 countries around the world. In the last six months alone, more than 2,000 people have participated in these courses.

In 50 countries, there are 120 centers for the Russian language, and in 2024, the university, together with the Russian Ministry of Education, with the support of the "My History" Foundation for the Support of Humanitarian Sciences, will open 11 open educational centers where the Russian language will be taught in person. These centers will be located in countries such as Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. In addition, the university has a preparatory department for foreign students, whose students are citizens of more than 60 countries.

According to the parents of children studying at the SPSU online school, the children feel involved in the learning process despite the online format, and the individual approach motivates them to acquire new knowledge and broaden their horizons. During the press conference, parents of children studying at the SPSU online school, Ksenia Aldamzharova (Cambodia) and Tatiana Pedrazzini (Italy), as well as the students themselves, shared their impressions. At the end of the press conference, Nikolai Mikhailovich Kropachev, Alexander Vyacheslavovich Babich, and Elena Ivanovna Kazakova answered questions from foreign journalists from the USA, Turkmenistan, the Netherlands, Panama, Tajikistan, Serbia, Africa, and other countries.

TASS/press-centum-SPSU/gnews.cz-jav