Centre for Test of Russian as a Foreign Language opened at ATU

Report by the Directorate for International Academic Cooperation–

In a ceremony held on 24 June 2023 at the faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, the Centre for Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL) was inaugurated by ATU President, Rector of Kazan Federal University, and a number of officials from the two universities. 

The opening ceremony of the Centre for Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL) was attended by Dr Abdollah Motamedi, President; Dr Mahdi Vahdi, Vice President for Student Affairs; Dr Seyed Jalal Faraji, Director of International Academic Cooperation; Dr Abbas Ali Vafaei, Dean of the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages; Dr Mousa Abdollahi, Faculty Member and Director of the Centre for Test of Russian as a Foreign Language; Dr Ehsan Ekradi, Head of the Office for Developing International Academic Collabotions; and Dr Mohsen Habibi, Director of Public Relations and Head President's Office from ATU, and Dr Lenar Safin, Rector; Dr Dmitry Tayursky, Vice-Rector for Research; Dr Sergey Prokhorov, Vice-Rector for Administrative Affairs; and Dr Timirkhan Alishev, Vice-Rector for International Affairs from Kazan Federal University (KFU), together with a group of directors, deans, and students from ATU's Russian Language Department.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr Motamedi pointed to the strategic partnerships between Iran and Russia as a facilitator for the academic cooperation between Iranian and Russian universities and called for the need for both parties to know each other's capacities.

He then added that ATU is the largest Humanities-specialised, public university in Iran and West Asia, and the cooperation between ATU and KFU is expected to be mostly in the areas of Humanities and Social Sciences. Stressing ATU's successful international collaborations with other universities, Dr Motamedi added that some of these partnerships can be implemented in the relations between ATU and KFU. He then pointed to a joint degree programme with a Russian university and added that ATU's Russian language students are currently studying a semester at a Russian university and Persian students from the Russian university study for a semester at ATU,  and the same model can be implemented between ATU and KFU. ATU President then added: "ATU's Regional Studies programme, which is taught in English at the ECO College of Insurance, also provides the possibility for the mobility of students between the two universities".

ATU President emphasized that the possibility for professors to have dialogue and conduct academic partnerships with their counterparts is the key to expanding academic ties and added: "The expansion of cyberspace and the possibility to communicate through this space has enabled professors to participate in various webinars and have dialogues with each other."

Dr Motamedi added that ATU is prepared to cooperate with KFU in launching joint degree programmes, conducting joint research projects, and teaching Persian language courses at the Russian university.

ATU President concluded his speech by saying that the Centre for TORFL Test is a good example of fruitful partnerships between ATU and KFU.

In the next part of the session, referring to the MoU signed between ATU and KFU, Dr Safin said: "The development of academic cooperation between the universities of Iran and Russia is a priority for us, and to do this, the main burden is on the shoulders of universities. The establishment of this Centre at ATU helps to strengthen the academic and cultural ties between the universities of the two countries."

KFU President then added: "For KFU, developing academic cooperation with member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a priority. KFU is distinguished in the fields of Oil and Gas, Physics, Chemistry, Humanities, and Social sciences, and currently, 1,140 Iranian citizens are studying at this university."

Dr Safin continued: "The development of new technologies has provided the basis for remote academic cooperation, a clear example of which being the platform used for Russian language tests. I hope the Centre's establishment will act as a bridge for continued cooperation in other disciplines and areas."

With over 200 years of age, KFU is one of the oldest universities in Russia. The university is the major higher education institute in the Republic of Tatarstan, and since 2009, it has been upgraded from a State University to a Federal University. KFU has more than 3,200 faculty members, 47,000 students, and 300 specialized programmes at BA, MA and PhD levels.