«Others are not strangers»: interview with the director of the Higher School of International Education

Asiyat Zhurtova, director of the Higher School of International Education of KBSU, told the Nalchik newspaper about her experience of interacting with foreigners and the specifics of studying for foreign students at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov.

In her interview, the director noted that providing educational services to students from different countries of the world is of primary strategic nature.

First of all, this is an important part of the national policy for increasing Russia’s «soft power». Through the education of foreign students, we broadcast our culture, our thinking, our way of life to the world,

— says Asiyat Zaurovna.

During the conversation, Zhurtova noted the tendency towards an annual increase in the number of foreign students at KBSU, which, in turn, corresponds to the algorithm of the Priority-2030 strategic academic leadership program.

If we give specific figures, then in the 2023-2024 academic year we had about two thousand foreign students and listeners from 41 countries. The largest communities are from India, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

We also discussed the difficulties that foreign students face at the initial stage of their studies. Most often, they are related to the language barrier. The students are helped to cope with it by teachers of Russian as a foreign language in the preparatory department of the Higher School of International Education. By the time they graduate, the university becomes their home.

Recently, our graduates, who came to say goodbye before leaving, said: «Ma’am, our parents told us that we are loved here and that you are all kind here, and this is true. We felt like home, we felt cozy and safe.» We were pleased to hear such words.