The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) has decided to drop the compulsory study of Chinese as a second foreign language. On this subject reported on the university website.
“The decision to introduce Chinese as a second foreign language at MIPT was due to objective factors, and we still view it as timely and promising,” the institute’s administration said in a statement.
The university admitted that it could not reach a consensus with students and develop a “consolidated opinion on teaching formats and volumes”.
“In order not to get bogged down in discussions, and above all, not to drag out the transition period and to give students the opportunity to study foreign languages at the level traditionally high for Phystech, we have decided to return to the classical foreign language curriculum for MIPT,” said the institute’s leadership.
We are talking about a program that was in effect until September 1, 2021: students who are already studying Chinese will complete their studies under this one.
The signatures against compulsory Chinese language study were collected by the MIPT Student Council. The petition, addressed to the institute’s rector, Dmitry Livanov, says students oppose “forced learning of the Chinese language” and demand that they be given the option of choosing between English or Chinese. Spanish. The students insisted on the fact that they had the right to “build their own academic path” according to their professional project.
The fact that the Spanish, German and French languages have disappeared from the university curriculum, for the courses for the study of which it has become impossible for MIPT students to enroll complained end of March.
Institute press service explain Vedomosti that the changes aim to give graduates the ability to “read technical literature and refer to scientific publications in Chinese”, in which “up to 27% of all scientific papers in key areas of MIPT” are written. By 2030, “up to half of all technical and engineering documentation will be published in the language of our eastern neighbor,” the university said.
