The events of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" in Mongolia

International Administration informs that Head of Department of International Relations Tarasov Alexander visited Power Engineering Institute of Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) within the period from the 14th of March to the 25th of March, 2017 in frames of the cooperation agreement between MPEI and MUST. During his meeting Alexander Tarasov discussed the organization of the joint educational program, participation in the educational exhibition. Arrangement of events for admission of foreign students to be trained at MPEI was also negotiated.

Cooperation between MPEI and Mongolia has a long history. The first Mongolian alumnus graduated from MPEI in 1959. Thereafter over 300 engineers, bachelors, masters and 19 Candidates of Technical Sciences have been trained at MPEI. More than 150 Mongolian experts passed a training course at MPEI. Many Mongolian students came to MPEI after 1999 where the MPEI Educational center at the Ulaanbaatar University had been organized. There were periods of time when the number of the Mongolian students studying in Mongolia according to this program was more than 150 people. For a great contribution to training of national qualified personnel of Mongolia in 2004 MPEI Educational center was awarded by Diploma of Merit of Embassy of Mongolia in the Russian Federation. In 2004 MPEI has joined efforts of the leading Russian Universities and held the First Academic Competition on natural sciences and history of Moscow in Mongolia with the support of Moscow Center of the international cooperation, the Russian Center of Science and Culture and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Mongolia. In the ensuring time the Academic Competition became regular and over 20000 Mongolian school students participated in them. In April 2013 MPEI headed the organizing committee on preparation and performing the cycle of Academic Competition for school students of Mongolia in frames of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" under the auspices of Rossotrudnichestvo. Over 30 Russian universities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Volgograd, Yakutsk, Ufa, Michurinsk, Kyzyl are involved in this project. By the results of Academic Competition since 2013 to 2016 over 200 school students and students from Mongolia got the state grants of the Russian Federation to study at Russian universities. MPEI staff and professors take active part in the cooperation with various organizations of Mongolia in power engineering, science and education. It is important to note that 5 MPEI employees were granted a rank "Advanced Worker of Power Engineering of Mongolia" and the honorary title "The advanced educator of Mongolia" over the last 5 years.

Now approximately 50 citizens of Mongolia study in MPEI; among them there are 5 Ph.D.-students.

MPEI alumni fully work in public authorities of Mongolia, they held posts of Ministers, directors of combined heat and power plant, and they head the major companies. Many MPEI alumni successfully work in power engineering, industry, modern IT companies, Universities of Mongolia.

A special fillip was given to the deepening of cooperation between MPEI and Mongolian universities and organizations when in 2016 MPEI was given the Order of the Polar star of Mongolia.

During the visit to MUST Power Engineering Institute a meeting with Director of the institute Ch. Mangalzhalav, the adviser to Rector L. Gurbazar, the scientific secretary of MUST Power Engineering Institute B. Bath-Erdene (MPEI alumni) was organized. The main areas of development of cooperation between our universities were defined such as: the arrangement of the joint educational training program for the master’s course, training of the Mongolian Ph.D.-students and masters at MPEI, joint participation in scientific conferences. It should be noted that twelve employees of MUST Power Engineering Institute were MPEI alumni. Moreover fundamental steps needed for the implementation of the memorandum of intent between our universities on creation of the Russian-Mongolian consortium of technical universities were coordinated.

Following the results of work of the delegation the Russian universities the exchange of opinions with the senior staff of MUST Power Engineering Institute took place where the following proposals have been formulated:

• to continue cooperation concerning the project "It is time to study in Russia!";
• to continue more vigorous interaction between Russian and Mongolian universities for enhancing the cooperation on arrangement of the joint educational programs and potential creation of network university – the Russian-Mongolian consortium of technical universities, based on the experience of SCO University and RKCTU;
• to create the preparatory department of Consortium "It is time to study in Russia!" at MUST to train MUST students for admission to Russian universities including MPEI;
• to make the coordinated proposals on a list of the areas and specialties, including graduate study and training to introduce the proposals on the country quota in 2018-2019 academic year.

The meeting with S. Batkhuyag, professor of MUST Power Engineering Institute took place there and the issues concerning the enhancing of cooperation between MPEI and MUST and MPEI was given the Order of the Polar Star of Mongolia were discussed.

Since the 15th of March to the 25th of March in Mongolia a cycle of events within the project "It is time to study in Russia!" project has passed. Since the 16th of March to the 18th of March a representative from MPEI has participated in the Russian Educational Exhibition — 2017 at the integrated roll-up of the project "It is time to study in Russia!". In total 22 Russian universities were presented at the exhibition. Total number of visitors has exceeded 2000 people.

The events of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" are aimed at the raise of the interest among Mongolian school and university students in Russian education. During the exhibition the booklets of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" and MPEI booklets in the Mongolian language were handed to the guests.

This academic year a cycle of events "It is time to study in Russia!" has already been realized in Vietnam and Angola, and its realization is planned in the Republic of Moldova, the People's Republic of China, Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia, Zambia before the end of the year.

The events in Mongolia included: a meeting with the senior staff of the Russian center of science and culture in Ulaanbaatar (RCSC), a meeting with administration of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) and MUST Power Engineering Institute, the presentation of the Russian universities and screening tests on mathematics, chemistry and the Russian language for the Mongolian citizens and the Russian compatriots for training in 2017/2018 academic year at the Russian educational institutions at the expense of the federal budget of the Russian Federation.

Within the project events in Mongolia Russian educational establishments were represented by the staff of 7 universities: MPEI, RUDN, NUST MISIS, MIET, National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Novosibirsk State Medical Academy, Moscow State Technological University “Stankin“ (MSTU Stankin) and Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (NPI).

As the result of collaboration between Representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Mongolia and representatives of the Russian universities, screening tests on mathematics, chemistry and the Russian language for the Mongolian citizens and the Russian compatriots for training in 2017/2018 academic year at the Russian Universities at the expense of the federal budget of the Russian Federation were performed.

In coordination with RCSC in Ulaanbaatar the initiative group of the Russian universities prepared tasks for the above-mentioned examinations.

RCSC representatives and the Russian universities – participants of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" were included in the commission on the arrangement, performing and checking the results of screening tests on mathematics, chemistry and the Russian language. Over 1000 people took part in these tests.

All above mentioned candidates have undergone preliminary registration on the website RUSSIA.STUDY, and RCSC preliminary selection in Ulaanbaatar from the registered applicants taking into consideration the academic progress of the applicant, his participation in Academic Competition and competitions in Mongolia, knowledge of the Russian language, etc.

Work of representatives of the Russian universities was highly appreciated by Mikhaylov E. - the Adviser of Embassy of the Russian Federation in Mongolia, Head of representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Mongolia, Director of RCSC in Ulaanbaatar.

Following the results of work of the Russian universities delegation the exchange of opinions with RCSC senior staff in Ulaanbaatar took place where the following proposals were formulated:

• to continue cooperation concerning the project "It is time to study in Russia!";
• to hold consultations to settle the terms of the preliminary and information rounds of the project in Mongolia during the fall 2017 – spring 2018;
• to create the working group for coordination of the integrated complex of the events in Mongolia in frames of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" including: the educational exhibition of the Russian universities in RCSC, meetings with graduates of schools and their parents, meetings with alumni of the Russian and Soviet Universities, Academic Competition "It is time to study in Russia!", screening tests for the Mongolian citizens and Russian compatriots for training in 2018/2019 academic year at Russian Universities at the expense of the federal budget of the Russian Federation;
• to continue more vigorous interaction between the Russian and Mongolian universities to boost the deepening of cooperation on the arrangement of joint educational programs and potential creation of the network university based on the experience of University of SCO and RKCTU.
• to make the coordinated proposals concerning the list of the areas and specialties, including graduate study and training.

Implementation of the project "It is time to study in Russia!" in Mongolia became possible due to the extensive support of RCSC in Ulaanbaatar.