Thirty thousand students from 177 countries will enroll in Russian universities this year under the country’s special governmental quotas, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov said. According to him, 140 thousand applications for these spots at universities have been received worldwide, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.

He noted that interest in Russian education around the world is growing, which is noticeable by the number of applications from those wishing to enroll in the nation’s universities. According to Pavel Shevtsov, interest from African countries has increased by 14%.

The deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo said that the promotion of the Russian language abroad is a complex and multilateral process, but the Russian side manages to develop tools to attract foreigners to study the Russian language.

This is all a holistic process, according to Pavel Shevtsov, Moscow relies on getting people to learn Russian first in order to study here. Foreigners take up studying Russian in order to get a high-quality education in such areas demanded by employers as medicine and technical sciences. First comes interest in the language, then comes a working towards a degree.

He noted that an important role in the promotion of the Russian language is played by support and retraining of Russian language teachers abroad, holding internships, winter and summer schools in Russia for specialists from other countries.