RUDN allocates 15 additional scholarships for best students from Sierra-Leone

22 July, a delegation headed by Dr.Samura Kamara, Minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of Sierra Leone visited RUDN

In Peoples’ friendship university of Russia Dr.Samura Kamara, Minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of Sierra Leone met Larisa Efremova, RUDN Vice-Rector for international activity, Igor Ganshin, Director of the Ministry of education and science international department and Andrey Fedorovykh, attaché of the RF MFA Department of Africa.

The meeting was aimed at expanding cooperation in education and science. «We have more than 1,500 African citizens at RUDN and we are witnessing stable growing interest to Russian education. From 100,000 RUDN graduates 40,000 are foreigners. RUDN has made a thorough survey of labor market of the main world regions to understand which professions will be in high demand in different countries in 5 years. Africa is one of priority regions for RUDN for the coming years. We are planning to expand cooperation through the so-called «cluster entry» – via agreements with the leading universities of the continent and opening RUDN centers of the Russian language and pre-university training in large cities», - said Larisa Efremova. In particular it is planned to increase the number of students majoring in medicine, agriculture, engineering and humanities since Africa needs such specialists. The most popular courses are taught in English, there are a lot of academic mobility and refresher training programs including distant. Contacts with employers and dual-degree programs are constantly expanding. 

«I am impressed by how fast and flexible RUDN is at adapting to global challenges. Expanding academic cooperation reflects realities Sierra Leone is facing. For example, we are setting up centers for diseases control, we lack specialists in bridges construction, we need agronomists for mass food production. Africa needs specialists for improving life quality», said Dr.Samura Kamara, Minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of Sierra Leone. 

Dr.Kamara noted that RUDN has long helped train specialists for Sierra Leone and since 1960 has given the country 143 specialists, among them ex-Rector of Malabo University and ex-Minister of foreign affairs.

The two parties noted the necessity of increasing the number of students from Sierra Leone in RUDN. Igor Ganshin, Director of the Ministry of education and science international department stressed «We are starting to increase Russian education export selecting the most attractive places for entrants. RUDN experience in dual-degrees programs and English-taught courses is invaluable. RUDN has always been and will be the Russian leader in preparing highly-qualified specialists for foreign countries».

The RF Ministry of education and science and Rossotrudnichestvo are planning to increase the number of students from Sierra Leone. Larisa Efremova said that besides official governmental quotas RUDN has decided to allocate 15 additional scholarships from the university’s budget for students from Sierra Leone majoring in medicine, engineering, agronomy and humanities. Dr.Kamara promised to personally control signing agreements with the leading universities of his country and selection of the best candidates for RUDN.