Jakarta Welcomes HSE St Petersburg Delegates
Delegation of HSE University in St Petersburg visited Indonesia to deliver guest lectures at the Russian Center for Science and Culture and across universities next to Jakarta.
Head of Degree Programmes Office Julia Vasilieva, Senior Lecturer of Russian as a Foreign Language Alevtina Yagodova, Associate Professor of the Department of Asian and African Studies Svetlana Krivokhizh, and Director of the Centre for International Cooperation Konstantin Platonov teamed up for the mission held on November 29-30, 2017.
'Being a part of HSE Saint Petersburg’s international project ‘The role of Russia in the modern dialogue of cultures’ run within the federal programme Russian Language 2016-2020 and supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the workshop in Indonesia base on the idea to give a cultural insight of contemporary Russia and to promote Russian higher education, language and culture for Indonesia’s students', Konstantin Platonov, HSE St Petersburg Director of the Centre for International Cooperation claims.
Early morning of November 29 the delegation visited the University of Indonesia and delivered a lecture and a practical workshop on linguo-cultural aspects of teaching Russian language as foreign for more than 70 students at the Russia Studies Department at UI’s Faculty of Humanities. It was really impressive how well the students speak Russian.
'University of Indonesia, internationally acknowledged and ranked, is one of a few where students can study Russian language. Annually, 35-40 undergraduates choose to major in Russian studies here, and the number is growing steadily', Dr Thera Widyastuti, Head of the Russian Studies Programme notes.
The delegates have also visited London School of Public Relations (LSPR), HSE’s partner university in Jakarta, to deliver a lecture on the history of cooperation between Russia and Indonesia, today’s system of higher education in Russia, and Russian culture and traditions to the students of LSPR Graduate School of Communication.
Dr. Janette M. Pinariya, Executive Dean of the School and the visit host, stressed that the is a stong demand of international guest lecturers at LSPR. Nadine Samala from LSPR International Academic Collaborations mentioned that student exchange agreement between the two universities not just exists, but really works: LSPR and HSE exchanged with students this year. HSE graduate Vladimir Kirichenko now studies and works at LSPR in Jakarta as well.
On November 30, HSE Saint Petersburg delegation gave visit to a recently established Surya University and held two lectures for the students and staff of the Green Economy programme.
'As a compact research-led university, Surya focuses on environmental policy issues and equal opportunities studies, professor Yohanes Surya', Rector and Founder of the Surya University explains. 
Two students Yosua Ida Bagus K. and Bradley Gunawan did an exceptional job for HSE mission having moderated the lecture and Q&A session.
HSE Saint Petersburg’s visit to the Surya University covered by MNC TV iNews: the delegates told about the Russian higher education and the project for Jakarta, in particular. 
On the night of November 30, a closing lecture was held at the Russian Center for Science and Culture during the of the Russian language course commencement ceremony. A comprehensive one-hour Q&A session showed a huge interest towards Russia and a true passion for Russian language and culture among the people of Indonesia. 
'When you come to a country like Indonesia, in thousands miles, it is so amazing to meet people who are just starting to talk Russian and ready to sing in your native language. Tasting Russian salad and herring sandwich and listening to the local youngsters performing songs by Kino rock group in Jakarta, 9000 km away from our St. Petersburg office, is a breathtaking life experience. Although, the passion for our country’s culture is combined with the lack of basic information. During the Q&A session at the Russian Center in Jakarta we discovered that some people in the room were sincerely convinced that Russia is still a communist society. This is why guest lectures and site visits are so crucial for both of us', Konstantin Platonov concludes.
Based on materials of the Centre for International Cooperation