BUDIMIR: ACADEMIC STAFF EXCHANGE BETWEEN BANJA LUKA AND KAZAN UNIVERSITIES TO FOLLOW

BANJA LUKA, JULY 23 /SRNA/ – The Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Željko Budimir stated today in Banja Luka that an exchange of academic staff between the University of Banja Luka and Kazan Federal University from Tatarstan will be implemented in the coming period.

"We will soon also send students to Kazan University, for studies at all levels depending on their interests. We discussed the possibility of preparatory classes for students who do not speak Russian," Budimir told reporters after the meeting with the delegation from Tatarstan.

He assessed that Kazan University is very prestigious in Russia, as well as generally within Eurasia.

"This university holds a special place as the third most important university historically and scientifically in the Russian Federation," Budimir added.

He reminded that a memorandum of cooperation has been signed between the two universities and expressed confidence that a delegation from Kazan University will come in November for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the University of Banja Luka.

"Cooperation with Tatarstan in the field of science and higher education will certainly be a priority. Together with culture, we are the `software` that should give special meaning to economic and industrial cooperation," Budimir said.

He noted that it would be beneficial to reinstate the Department of Serbian Studies at Kazan University because, without knowledge of the language, it is difficult to develop cooperation in the field of higher education.

"It is important to reintroduce the Russian language into primary and secondary education, and we have been working intensively on this for the past three years," Budimir said, calling on parents to direct their children towards studying Russian, which he believes will be extremely important in the future.

The delegation from Tatarstan at the meeting at the University of Banja Luka was led by the Vice-Rector for External Relations of Kazan Federal University Timirkhan Alishev.