The English and Chinese languages are studied by Irkutsk schoolchildren at Baikal School of BRICS
BS BRICS held a cultural and entertaining event for future university applicants. The participants of the event were Irkutsk high school students enrolled in language courses at INRTU.
English and Chinese classes were launched at BS BRICS at the beginning of the academic year on a free-of-charge basis for the partner schools. The project was initiated by the School Management and Department of Humanities. Classes are held every Saturday by the leading teachers of Irkutsk Technical university.
The program, organized on the eve of the New Year, December 24, was held with the support of BS BRICS Trade Union.
Schoolchildren learned about New Year traditions of Nigeria, Egypt and China from foreign students. Akinsola Williams Akinwumi's speech attracted the schoolchildren's interest. He said the main New Year's dish in Nigeria is chicken, cooked according to a very special recipe, and the main symbol of the holiday is an orange.
Amr Mahmoud, a first-year BS BRICS student from Egypt, entertained the audience with a traditional musical instrument, the Goblet drum. Students from China checked the students' knowledge of the Chinese language with a quiz. Then INRTU students and schoolchildren played "broken phone" in English, created humorous stories, competed in Jenga and bingo.
The relevance of language courses and career guidance projects was emphasized by Svetlana Latysheva, head of the Department of Humanities:
"Nowadays every profession or field of activity is developing in the global area. Linguistics and STEM-education overlap in different fields, so future specialists need to feel confident in an international professional environment.
At our school students and teachers are from different nationalities, while foreign languages are the "assemblage center" of the educational process."
The courses are attended by schoolchildren in grades 7-9. Teachers add thematic workshops to the language classes. Schoolchildren become demo students and immerse themselves in their future profession.
According to Svetlana Kovalchuk, Deputy Director for Educational Work of Irkutsk School No. 19, cooperation with BS BRICS motivates schoolchildren to study better, allows them to consciously choose a future career.
Elena Perelygina, marketing analyst of BS BRICS, notes that the language courses demonstrate to applicants the accessibility of English-taught programs:
"The students don't need to be fluent in English, the main thing is the motivation. Thanks to the individual approach, communication with native speakers and "academic immersion", students' language skills improve significantly in the first year of study."
