Viktor Sadovnichy: “We have no other ties excpet for mentality and language”Interview by Maria Sidelnikova, exclusively to Vestnik KavkazaViktor Sadovnichy, Principal of Lomonosov Moscow State Univesrity, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the importance of the Russian language in the post-Soviet space. He believes that we underestimate Russian education as “soft power.”- Does the spreading of Russian education and the Russian language encourage integration in the post-Soviet space?- We will always understand each other, as we speak a common language. It is our tie. And the only ties we have our mentality and language. I think the problem is big and many-sided. It has been recently discussed by the government, a session was conducted by Olga Golodets. We contribute to it through our branches. And we succeed in this. Today 3,000 students are studying in our branches. They are future elite; they will get degrees in Moscow University; they are studying the Russian language. And I hope they love our country because we teach them in such a way, we give them everything, from the point of view of our education capacities. It is very important. And I believe we underestimate the work of our branches as “soft power.”The branches are not-for-profit. You know some universities establish branches to get profit, but we have no commercial component. I think it is a great achievement. Soon we will open two more branches – in Yerevan and Kyrgyzstan. We need this today. It is a right mission of Moscow University.- Recently the History Department has welcomed its first student from Kyrgyzstan for several years. Will the Soviet scheme of welcoming students from national republics be revived?- We have three countries which students can enter our university – Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Unfortunately, school education and qualifications are insufficient in these countries for entering our university on general terms. Of course there are separate people who studied well at Russian school, speak Russian fluently, and have vast knowledge.There is another way – national quotas, but they are too small. I think they should be increased, at the same time, they should be sponsored by the state. The question needs international discussion.In 1991-1992 we declared that we would accept citizens of any country, even though it was aimed at citizens of the former Soviet republics. The interest was huge. It was a great step, and young people entered our university and didn’t notice that the Soviet Union collapsed. But later the Auditing Chamber corrected me that they were foreigners and couldn’t be accepted anymore. And the inflow from these countries narrowed down.But the main thing is the Russian level and the level of training to enter Moscow University independently. I think that such an opportunity should be extended for countries. For instance, there are many young people in Ukraine, who want to study in MSU, they are well-trained and speak Russian. But formally they are foreigners.- How is the project of a MSU branch in Armenia getting on?- We have five branches of Moscow University in five countries. These are Sevastopol (Ukraine), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan. At the moment the project of establishing a Moscow University branch in Yerevan is being intensively fulfilled. We conducted all necessary meetings and work with ministries, commissions; we several times visited Yerevan to watch the future campus. At the moment, we are at the stage when President of Armenia should make a decision on establishing of the branch, i.e. to sign a special document, an order or an act. It is our rule for all branches. Let’s wait for early December.There will information and mathematics departments, departments of economics and management. And of course there will be a department of the Russian language, a philology department, it is our rule.- How many students will study there?- We want to start with 50 students at first. We always are very careful at the beginning. But five years will pass and I am sure there will be 400-500 students.- How do other branches in the post-Soviet space work?- All branches (except for Sevastopol) were established at requests of presidents of the countries, who personally control their work. There are certain presidential orders. We feel the support from the countries; they are interested in elite, as graduators get degree in Moscow University. Of course they supervise the branches and do their best. Tutors of MSU teach in the branches. Sometimes 200 tutors have to go to branches annually; at the same time, they have to work in MSU itself, and it is not easy for us. But we understand our responsibility and tasks and do this.As for Sevastopol, the situation is more difficult here. There is no support from the Ukrainian government. The branch works for money of Moscow University. It was established in the difficult 1990s. It solved the problem of children of the Black Sea Fleet, our base and Russian-speaking young people living on the Crimea. It became a university for everybody, and people from all regions of Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries enter it. The branch is working effectively.
Interview by Maria Sidelnikova, exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Viktor Sadovnichy, Principal of Lomonosov Moscow State Univesrity, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the importance of the Russian language in the post-Soviet space. He believes that we underestimate Russian education as a “soft power.”
- Does the spreading of Russian education and the Russian language encourage integration in the post-Soviet space?
- We will always understand each other, as we speak a common language. It is our tie. And the only ties we have are our mentality and language. I think the problem is big and many-sided. It has been recently discussed by the government, a session was conducted by Olga Golodets. We contribute to it through our branches. And we succeed in this. Today 3,000 students are studying in our branches. They are future elite; they will get degrees in Moscow University; they are studying the Russian language. And I hope they love our country because we teach them in such a way, we give them everything, from the point of view of our education capacities. It is very important. And I believe we underestimate the work of our branches as “soft power.”
The branches are not-for-profit. You know some universities establish branches to get profit, but we have no commercial component. I think it is a great achievement. Soon we will open two more branches – in Yerevan and Kyrgyzstan. We need this today. It is a right mission of Moscow University.
- Recently the History Department has welcomed its first student from Kyrgyzstan for several years. Will the Soviet scheme of welcoming students from national republics be revived?
- We have three countries which students can enter our university – Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Unfortunately, school education and qualifications are insufficient in these countries for entering our university on general terms. Of course there are separate people who studied well at Russian school, speak Russian fluently, and have vast knowledge.
There is another way – national quotas, but they are too small. I think they should be increased, at the same time, they should be sponsored by the state. The question needs international discussion.
In 1991-1992 we declared that we would accept citizens of any country, even though it was aimed at citizens of the former Soviet republics. The interest was huge. It was a great step, and young people entered our university and didn’t notice that the Soviet Union collapsed. But later the Auditing Chamber corrected me that they were foreigners and couldn’t be accepted anymore. And the inflow from these countries narrowed down.
But the main thing is the Russian level and the level of training to enter Moscow University independently. I think that such an opportunity should be extended for countries. For instance, there are many young people in Ukraine, who want to study in MSU, they are well-trained and speak Russian. But formally they are foreigners.
- How is the project of a MSU branch in Armenia getting on?
- We have five branches of Moscow University in five countries. These are Sevastopol (Ukraine), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan. At the moment the project of establishing a Moscow University branch in Yerevan is being intensively fulfilled. We conducted all necessary meetings and work with ministries, commissions; we several times visited Yerevan to watch the future campus. At the moment, we are at the stage when President of Armenia should make a decision on establishing of the branch, i.e. to sign a special document, an order or an act. It is our rule for all branches. Let’s wait for early December.
There will information and mathematics departments, departments of economics and management. And of course there will be a department of the Russian language, a philology department, it is our rule.
- How many students will study there?
- We want to start with 50 students at first. We always are very careful at the beginning. But five years will pass and I am sure there will be 400-500 students.
- How do other branches in the post-Soviet space work?
- All branches (except for Sevastopol) were established at requests of presidents of the countries, who personally control their work. There are certain presidential orders. We feel the support from the countries; they are interested in elite, as graduators get degree in Moscow University. Of course they supervise the branches and do their best. Tutors of MSU teach in the branches. Sometimes 200 tutors have to go to branches annually; at the same time, they have to work in MSU itself, and it is not easy for us. But we understand our responsibility and tasks and do this.
As for Sevastopol, the situation is more difficult here. There is no support from the Ukrainian government. The branch works for money of Moscow University. It was established in the difficult 1990s. It solved the problem of children of the Black Sea Fleet, our base and Russian-speaking young people living on the Crimea. It became a university for everybody, and people from all regions of Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries enter it. The branch is working effectively.
