Sergey Malyshev, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously, he headed the Department of Analytics and Monitoring within the Strategic Planning and Personnel Development Department of the federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo. He also worked as head of the organisation’s office in Finland and served as First Secretary at the Russian Embassy in the republic.
What opportunities has the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in Education opened up for Russia and Laos?
As you know, this year Russia and Laos mark 65 years of diplomatic relations. Recently, cooperation in the fields of economics and education has been developing very actively. The signing of such a memorandum of cooperation and mutual understanding between the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education and Sport of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has created a systematic framework for joint work in this area.
There is a very interesting fact that probably contributes to the establishment of personal contact between the President of Russia and the President of Laos, which surely creates more opportunities of cooperation. The thing is that the president of Laos graduated from the Herzen Leningrad Pedagogical Institute, now the Russian State Pedagogical University, and he is an honorary doctor of this renowned institution. Of course, this is a very important factor in creating conditions for the Russian State Pedagogical University to build its work in Laos, and for good, warm, and direct dialogue between the two nations.
How many schoolchildren will this initiative ultimately involve? And could its expansion help meet the demand for learning Russian among the Lao population?
I can give you current figures. At present, Russian is taught in seven schools in Laos, with more than 420 pupils studying the language. Three teachers from the Russian Teacher Abroad project work in these schools. In addition, Russian is taught at the Centre of Open Education, established by Herzen University. Over the past two years, more than 600 young Laotians have studied there.
In your view, what drives interest among Laotians in learning Russian?
Historically, our two countries have shared deep and friendly ties. During the period of close cooperation, when the Soviet Union assisted Laos in rebuilding its statehood and developing its national economy, a strong foundation was laid. The USSR trained about 8,000 specialists for Laos, 3,000 of whom gained higher education, while others received vocational training or professional development.
As a result, Laos developed a layer of cultural and political intelligentsia who know and remember Russian. These are people who value the Soviet contribution to their country’s development and who, essentially, have a genuine love for Russian culture.
I have visited Laos many times and can confirm that the people still cherish warm memories of friendship with our country. Of course, in the late 1990s this cooperation receded as both nations focused on internal issues. Today we are witnessing a revival of this positive legacy. Growing interest in Russian language learning naturally follows the strengthening of economic and humanitarian cooperation. Education, in particular, is the key platform for developing new projects in both fields.
At what stage is the project to establish a Russian school in Laos, and when might it be able to receive its first pupils?
Yes, this matter has been raised at the highest level, as President Vladimir Putin himself noted following talks with the President of Laos. Work is moving forward actively: as far as I know, a site for construction has already been selected and allocated to the Russian side.
Currently, the school’s concept is being developed. The key principle is to create a continuous professional track for young people, enabling them to choose a future speciality while still at school, gaining knowledge and skills that will allow them to integrate more quickly and effectively into Laos’s economy and into joint projects with Russia.
What opportunities will the dual school-leaving certificate offer graduates? And could this project encourage more Laotian students to enter Russian universities?
The significance of this school goes far beyond one project. The comprehensive work being developed by the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with us as the federal project operator and with Herzen University, seeks to achieve several goals.
Firstly, to revive and strengthen interest in the Russian language in Laos.
Secondly, to create conditions for Laotian youth considering higher or vocational education in Russia. Our aim is to prepare them thoroughly – not only linguistically, but also in terms of cultural understanding and psychological readiness for study abroad. Such mutual respect and understanding provide the foundation for their successful adaptation to life and study in Russia.
What measures could expand Russia’s educational outreach in ASEAN and BRICS countries?
Indeed, last year 350,000 international students were studying in Russia. We face the ambitious but essential task of raising that number to 500,000 by 2030.
It is important to shift the focus from higher education alone to vocational training. Our partners, including Laos, have a strong demand for highly skilled practical specialists – builders, workers for modern industries. Their competencies and salaries often exceed those of many university graduates. Modern production requires advanced knowledge, particularly in the sciences, which has raised the bar for vocational education.
To unlock this potential, we must provide international students with favourable conditions in our colleges: language support, good living conditions, and possibly subsidies for travel and accommodation. Work is underway to provide scholarships, reimbursements, and, crucially, to relocate preparatory language and subject training directly into partner countries through the opening of schools and education centres. This is our direct investment in preparing future applicants.
Is Russia planning mutual recognition of qualifications with Laos and other ASEAN states? And what about BRICS partners?
Yes, this is indeed the right strategic approach. Such work is being systematically carried out with all our friendly countries, not just BRICS. We are pursuing it with every nation with which we share close relations, including in the economic sphere, and which are interested in deepening cooperation.
An integral part of this process is mutual recognition of diplomas. Active work in this direction is also underway with Laos.
Could professional development courses for local teachers also help to promote Russian language and education?
Absolutely. This is an important part of our overall strategy in education cooperation. It concerns both the training of new Russian language teachers and the professional development of existing ones.
Key partners are involved in this process. As I mentioned, Herzen University plays a leading role, while the Russia, My History foundation also provides significant support in implementing such programmes. It is a comprehensive effort aimed at strengthening the position of the Russian language abroad.
Watch the full version of the interview here.
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