The Irkutsk National Research Technical University is hosting the fourth International Summer School of Russian Language. This new session of the program brought together 24 students from universities in China, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. The students will improve their Russian language skills and familiarize themselves with local culture and the sights of Irkutsk and Siberia.

At the opening ceremony, Vladimir Smirnov, the vice rector for academic affairs, congratulated the students. According to Smirnov, this is the first time the summer school has welcomed such a large number of guests. He said it was symbolic to hold the courses in early June. Russians associate this time with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, a poet and one of the creators of modern Russian literature.

"When I was a PhD student, I took a language course abroad for two months. It was one of the most interesting periods of my life. I still communicate with people from Poland, Belarus, Russia, and Africa whom I met on that trip. I wish you success not only in learning Russian, but also in communicating in it and immersing yourself in the cultures of the countries you come from,” said Vladimir Smirnov.

Stepan Bykov, the Vice-Rector for International Affairs, noted that summer schools at Polytechnic have been held for the fourth consecutive year. He thanked the following partner universities for their help in organizing the school: Mongolian National University of Education, Mongolian National University, Tashkent Kimyo International University, and Shenyang Institute of Technology. The vice rector wished for the students to gain additional competencies and improve their intercultural communication skills.

The school takes place from June 2-11. Students at the elementary level will learn vocabulary and phonetics, while those at the advanced level will become familiar with Russian language teaching methods. Participants will have the opportunity to improve their language skills through conversation practice during walking tours of the city and visits to exhibitions, theaters, and museums. There will also be trips to the Taltsy architectural and ethnographic museum and to Lake Baikal.

Makhigul Jurabayeva, a teacher from the Russian Language Department at Kimyo International University in Tashkent, is visiting INRTU for the second time. Last year, she spent a month here improving her qualifications. This time, she is accompanying future elementary school teachers, psychologists, and Korean philologists. The Uzbek students speak Russian quite well. To advance their careers, they will need a deeper knowledge of Russian and understanding of the culture.

"We are happy to participate in such a project. Our wish for the future is to supplement the school's program with engineering, architecture, and medical terminology. As representatives of a technical university, this would be very useful to us,” said Tashkent teacher Makhigul Jurabayeva.

Liang Chunyu is a Russian teacher at the Shenyang Institute of Technology. She came to Irkutsk Polytechnic with future power engineers from Shenyang. She became interested in Russia while living in Mudanjiang, which is near the border with Primorye. In 2012, she earned a linguistics degree in her hometown. She then earned a master's degree in Khabarovsk and is currently enrolled in a postgraduate program in Chita. She says that the Russian language is very popular in China because the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China are strengthening their comprehensive partnership.

"First of all, learn vocabulary. Don't be shy, and don't be afraid to make mistakes with pronunciation. Most importantly, don't be lazy." - The teacher Liang offered advice to those who want to succeed in learning Russian.

The opening ceremony of the summer school featured creative performances by the Russian folk song ensemble Kalina and foreign students from the preparatory department. That day, poems by Aleksandr Pushkin, songs, and musical compositions about Russia were performed.

Note that summer schools at INRTU have been held since 2021 under the direction of Nina Berngard, head of the International Office. Since its inception, over 50 students from Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia, Mongolia, China, and Uzbekistan have participated in the program.