Pretoria students share thoughts on Russia exchange programme
Unisa and two Russian universities are embarking on a breakthrough initiative that will see isiZulu taught in Russia, while Russian will be taught at Unisa.
Unisa in partnership with two Russian universities concluded a memorandum of understanding to launch a language exchange programme on March 4.
The groundbreaking initiative was witnessed by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and Russian Embassy representatives.
The main objective of the collaboration is to define areas of increased international co-operation, such as Pretoria, to achieve the goal of establishing both isiZulu and Russian languages in the field of teaching and learning.
According to Acting Vice-Principal of Institutional Development, Professor Solomon Magano, language carries lived experiences and expresses intentions.
He said he hopes this collaboration will extend to various areas in fulfilling the academic agendas of the three universities.
However, Pretoria students shared different perspectives regarding the language exchange.
Student Tshepang Mojela (23) relayed his concerns regarding the initiative.
“I do not support the initiative because I feel like isiZulu is the only language prioritised whereas other languages are overlooked and not considered.”
Another student expressed excitement and acceptance as she believes the initiative will yield good opportunities for students.
“I think our skills and knowledge will improve because we will be able to get job opportunities abroad, said Samantha Noko (21).
Yolanda Thabethe (24) believes the language exchange programme is a great initiative.
“It will improve our language skills and develop long-lasting friendships between our country and Russia.”
The initiative will break geographical boundaries in higher education, enabling students to develop global competencies.
Department of State Policy Director Elena Tumakova said the agreement will broaden cultural perspective.
Tumakova further emphasised she is confident that the agreement will give rise to many other significant projects.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
