Summer School 2019, organized by the University for teenagers from Vietnam, was the fourth annual one. The participants are pupils of the Tran Phu High School (Haiphong), which specializes in teaching Russian for high school students. At TSU, the students improve their knowledge of Russian. Many of them then become students of Tomsk State University.
It is possible to enter Tran Phu only by competition, which means that potential TSU applicants are highly prepared and motivated to receive higher education. They study Russian from the 10th to 12th grades, and, moreover, it is the only foreign language in this period of study.
- These are children focused on admission to Russian universities. We signed a collaborative agreement with this school in 2015. We also send our teachers to Vietnam. Starting this year, we will send Tatyana Kuryanova, a master’s student of the program Russian as a Foreign Language, to teaching practice in Haiphong, -says Svetlana Fashchanova, associate professor of the Department of the Russian Language at the Faculty of Philology.
During the Summer School, which is going on now and lasts from two to three weeks, the students study Russian every day for four hours with the TSU teachers. They not only learn Russian but also get to know the city and the university. By tradition, the school combines a tight training schedule and a rich cultural program that also meets the educational objectives of the course: excursions, master classes in making Russian national toys and painting spoons, and much more. One of the most remarkable excursions this year was a trip to the Semiluzhensky stockade.
- This year 11 people came to us. All of them are classmates, they moved to the 11th form, and they have studied Russian for only one year. But they already have a very decent level - they understand the main part of speech. However, Vietnamese teachers cannot explain all the characteristics of the Russian language and culture. This is especially true of country study, and we are focusing on this when preparing the summer school program. We are telling them about the history of Russia and Siberia - in particular, about our famous compatriots, - adds Svetlana Fashchanova.
During their stay in Tomsk, the Vietnam students also visit the TSU faculties - this helps them to choose where they will continue their education. This year there was a request to show the Faculty of Psychology and Faculty of Journalism, the Institute of Economics and Management, and the Higher IT School (HITS).
Most graduates of summer schools choose TSU for future higher education. For example, 20 graduates of the special school named after Tran Phu are now studying in TSU’s undergraduate programs.
