RUSSIAN EXPERTS PRESENT THE MOST ADVANCED TEACHING METHODOLOGIES

BANJA LUKA, November 22 /SRNA/ - Leading Russian experts presented today at the University of Banja Luka the most advanced trends and methodologies in the teaching of the Russian language, as part of the scientific and practical conference on theoretical and applied aspects of Russian studies and Russian language and culture instruction in a non-Russian Slavic environment.

Jurij Pičugin, advisor to the Russian Ambassador to BiH for scientific, cultural, and educational cooperation, said the conference was organized within the activities of the "Center for Open Education in the Russian Language and Russian Language Instruction." Pičugin noted that two branches of the Center operate at the universities in Istočno Sarajevo and Banja Luka, while a third branch was opened this year in Bijeljina. "The Center offers free Russian language courses, and several hundred students have already completed them. Educational events and competitions were launched last year," Pičugin told reporters before the start of the conference. He added that the Russian Embassy in BiH has supported the Center since 2023, and that the project is implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Pičugin stated that 10 professors and scholars from Russia are participating in the conference and will share the most modern teaching practices and experiences with instructors from Republika Srpska. "This includes the use of artificial intelligence and various specialized methods for teaching the Russian language," Pičugin added. Zhanna Fomicheva, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation and Education at Lev Tolstoy University, said that the scientific and practical conference was also held at the University of Istočno Sarajevo. "These events involve leading experts from Lev Tolstoy University. Our goal is for top specialists from across Russia to present in Republika Srpska the most advanced trends and methodologies in Russian language teaching," Fomić emphasized. She expressed her expectation that improving the quality of Russian language instruction in Republika Srpska will further strengthen the ties between the Serbian and Russian peoples. Sanja Milićević, head of the Center for Russian Studies at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Banja Luka, said that the results of cooperation with Tolstoy University are already visible in every classroom where Russian is taught in Republika Srpska. "This has been achieved thanks to our friends from Russia. Today, they will generously share examples of good practice and the latest knowledge on innovations in teaching with Russian language instructors from numerous cities across Srpska," Milićević said.