A blog tour aimed at attracting students from Algeria and Indonesia to Russia started in Tomsk. Journalists and bloggers from these countries visit leading Russian universities. The program in Tomsk started with a visit to Tomsk State University. Participants saw a modern university environment, met with students and visited engineering laboratories – chemistry, implants, UAV programming and others.
– The international students at TSU make approximately about 24% of the total student population. In numbers, this is more than 3,500 out of 15,000 students, – said Artyom Rykun, Vice-Rector for International Affairs. – There are 1,192 students from far abroad, including 79 students from Indonesia. This is the largest diaspora of Indonesians in Russia.
Journalists and bloggers from Indonesia and Algeria visit universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tomsk as part of the tour. The agenda of the blog tour includes visits to campuses, laboratories, research centers, as well as meetings with the representatives of universities and international students studying in Russia.
At Tomsk State University they visited the Research Library and the main building, as well as one of the largest closed test sites for unmanned aerial systems in Russia, the Engineering Chemical Technology Center, and the Alois medical production. At the end of their visit to TSU, they met Artyom Rykun, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and had a talk with Indonesian students who made a video greeting for their families and friends.
Journalists and bloggers learned that TSU is one of the oldest universities in Russia and it has become a starting point for the development of higher education outside the Urals. In 2023, TSU was one of the first to join the pilot project for the transformation of the higher education system in Russia.
– I think Tomsk has a very good atmosphere for studying. Indonesia has a similar city, Yogyakarta. It’s a student town. And they and Tomsk are similar in study culture, – as Danang Giri Sadewa, a blogger from Indonesia, shared his impressions.
Russian education is traditionally in demand in engineering, technical, medical and IT areas due to a strong academic school, fundamental training and a well-developed educational and research infrastructure. More than 3,500 international students from 69 countries are currently studying at TSU. Among them, Kazakhstan, China and Uzbekistan represent the largest number of students. Over the years, students from Indonesia and Vietnam have come to TSU to study. In recent years, the number of students from Pakistan and Mali, who mainly study in natural sciences and engineering, has grown significantly.
The blog tour was organized by ANO “National Priorities” together with the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education to popularize Russian education and attract international students to Russian universities.