“The Russian Teacher Abroad” programme has a profound cultural and educational mission

The readers are invited to an interview with the coordinator of the ‘Russian Teacher Abroad’ programme, Head of the Russian Language Centre at the Centre for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, Irina Rolandovna Ponomareva, on the importance of humanitarian ties in the development of school education, on the cultural role of Russian teachers sent abroad for host societies, and on current initiatives within the project.

– Irina Rolandovna, could you tell us, please, how the idea for the “Russian Teacher Abroad” programme came about, and how did it start?

– The start of the programme dates back to 2017, with 49 teachers of Russian language and literature being sent to Tajikistan. Then the idea received its development and spread further. Since 2020, our teachers have been represented in the national education system of Uzbekistan. And in that country, you can now see a model example of how the project should be implemented, mind you. Thanks to the sound position of the republic’s leadership, they have successfully integrated Russian education into their system: our teachers are hosted by 98 schools all across the country. Methodological support is provided by the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia; this is work on a national scale. And overall, our project has now taken shape and is running steadily. It has been included in the federal programme for the development of international cooperation, ‘Russia in the World’, signed off by the President.

– What is the current geography of Russian teachers working abroad?

– The project is already operating in 33 countries. These include CIS states, East Asia (for example, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, and China), South Asia (India, and Pakistan), the Middle East (for instance, Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine), Africa (for example, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, Ethiopia), and Latin America (for example, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua). Every single day, the classrooms of our teachers reach 70,000 foreign citizens. That is a huge number of people who understand our culture.

– How are things at the moment with teachers working in Iran and Lebanon?

– The teachers continue their work; they remain in those countries. In Iran, classes are held remotely. In Lebanon, teaching was remote in March, but at the start of April, they were able to come back to in-person classes.

An environmental lesson at an Egyptian school

– How is the programme organised in general?

– In host countries, our teachers teach Russian as a........

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