On March 31, the Institute of International Education of Tula State University discussed the specifics of the education system in different countries of the world.

The event, which brought together Russian and international students, was organized by the Department of Foreign Languages and the Lingua English Language Lovers Club. The participants were welcomed by Olga Dmitrievna Gladkova, Director of the TulSU Institute of International Education (IIE), who highlighted the importance of dialogue between students from different countries and noted that it is precisely such an open discussion that makes the educational process more comfortable and effective. Such meetings also traditionally provide an opportunity for all participants to improve their spoken English skills.

The first part of the meeting was devoted to getting to know the motivation of international students. Foreigners from IIE shared their stories about how they decided to pursue higher education in Tula. Among the main reasons are the high level of teaching, the availability of quality education, the friendly atmosphere and the support that international students receive at the Institute of International Education from the very first days of their studies. Tula's location in the center of Russia, not far from Moscow, plays an important role as well.

After that models of higher education in different parts of the world were presented. Russian students participating in the Lingua Club prepared and showed presentations on the education systems of England, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Finland, the USA and other countries. They have analyzed the structure of the educational process, methods of knowledge assessment, approaches to students' academic freedom and interaction with teachers. The participants noted how different approaches to learning can be: from the pragmatic US system to the innovative and practice-oriented model of Finnish education.

The students analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of educational systems of the countries of the world and compared them with Russian realities. The focus was on the balance between theory and practice, the flexibility of curricula, as well as the role of students' independent work.

Proposals were made to improve the Russian education system. Based on the studied foreign experience, the participants put forward a number of initiatives that, in their opinion, could make education more modern and youth-oriented. This includes, in particular, strengthening interdisciplinary ties, developing academic mobility while keeping the fundamentals of Russian education and introducing the best practices of foreign universities.

Dmitry Litvinov

Photographs by Ilya Kodakovsky