A general view of the main building of the Moscow State University. Photo: VCG

 
Russia plans to invest 784.5 billion rouble ($12 billion) in education in five years to ensure the global competitiveness of Russian education, Minister of Science and Higher Education Mikhail Kotyukov said Monday in Moscow.

According to Kotyukov, the national education plan aims to put Russia in the top 10 countries in general education quality.

One of the goals of the plan is to attract more foreign students. Kotyukov said the number of foreign students in Russia is expected to reach 425,000 by 2024.

China and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1949, but educational  exchanges had taken place even earlier than that, Kotyukov said.

About 35,000 Chinese students are studying in Russia, and 20,000 Russian students are studying in China, with the total number of exchange students, including those taking short-term courses, reaching 85,000. Russia hopes to increase that number to 100,000 by 2020, Kotyukov told the Global Times by satellite link via Sputnik.

A statement issued by the Sputnik news agency said Russia and China are working to develop and implement joint educational programs, develop academic mobility and cooperate in the fields of science, technology and innovation, which involves more than 150 Russian universities and 600 Chinese universities.

Russian universities provide students from China a highly comfortable and adaptable language environment. At Tomsk State University, for example, Chinese is one of the working languages, the statement said.

Kotyukov said Russian students also have a strong interest in learning Chinese, and according to the statement, more than 20 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms are located in Russia.