By IPS Correspondents
MOSCOW, May 24 2001 (IPS)

At the height of the Cold War era, the Soviet universities and colleges opened their doors for thousands of young people from developing nations to train as future revolutionary cadres.

But these days, the Russian educational institutions are keen to lure foreign students so as to earn the badly needed cash.

During the Cold War, one university was opened in Moscow with the specific aim to provide training for young Communists from developing countries. The Patrice Lumumba University was established in honour of the first Prime Minister of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who died in a coup, blamed on the United States.

Along with left-wing revolutionaries from Latin America, Africa and Asia, famous terrorist Carlos the Jackal studied at this university. In the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, the university lost its pro-revolutionary zeal – along with Lumumba’s name. It’s now called the Russian People’s Friendship University (PFU).

“We now aim at attracting foreign students from different regions, including Western Europe and the former Soviet republics,” PFU’s head of marketing, Irina Polevaya, told IPS.

“Compared to other colleges, we are doing well,” she said.

During the Soviet era, nearly three quarters of the university’s 10,000 students were from other countries, mainly developing nations. Now, of the PFU’s 11,300 students, only 2,650 are foreigners.

The university receives roughly a third of its budget from the government, while the rest comes from tuition fees, which run about 2,000 dollars a year for international students.

The PFU is facing formidable competition from other established educational institutions, like the Moscow State University (MSU).

“We are striving to increase the number of foreign students at the MSU,” said MSU Rector, Professor Victor Sadovnichii. Founded in 1755, the Moscow State University, along with its Student Theatre, is the oldest in Russia.

When launched, the Moscow State University had three faculties, compared to the current 22. Now some 30,000 students, including about 3,000 from 97 countries, study at the MSU.

The MSU also maintains close ties with a variety of international bodies, including the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Bank.

The University has clinched nearly 200 exchange, research and co-operation agreements with universities across the world. Most of the domestic students at the MSU, and many other Russian universities as well, receive free education, reminiscent of the Soviet era.

The availability of free university education has caused the emergence of a huge “grey market,” estimated at One billion US dollars a year, as some officials take bribes in exchange for state-funded tuition.

However, the foreign students pay for their studies, which varies between 2,500 and 6,500 US dollars a year. Cost of accommodation at the hostels, as well as transport and food, are also relatively cheap, and this gives the MSU a competitive advantage over the other universities.

But the quality of living and education in Russia is not always up to international standards.

Foreign students also face other hurdles: rampant crime.

In recent years students from Asia and Africa have been targeted by hate attacks, perpetrated by Russian skinheads. For instance, in Tver, Central Russia, where some 1,000 foreigners study, an average of 10 hate attacks is recorded every month.

Nonetheless, Russia’s unique historic heritage, its recognised academic reputation and low cost of university education still attract international students.

The MSU’s cradle is an imposing building on Mokhovaya Street, at a shouting distance from the Kremlin. Originally built in the 18th century, it was restored after the Napoleon invasion and the Great Fire of 1812. Yet its lecture theatres look dilapidated as if they have not been repaired since Napoleon’s days.

“What’s happening here may be described as a slow dying,” said one lecturer. “With the current laughable funding, young people are reluctant to chose academic careers.”

MSU lecturers earn between 2,000 and 3,000 roubles (70-100 US dollars) a month, and engage in private lessons or lecture at private colleges to keep afloat.

Earlier this month both MSU and PFU participated in exhibitions, organised by the Russian Ministry of Education, in Beijing, China, and Hanoi, Vietnam.

In Beijing, Russia’s Minister of Education Vladimir Philippov told journalists that Moscow is keen to revitalise the once thriving educational co-operation between the two nations.

In both China and Vietnam, there are still many alumni of the Russian universities among the high-ranking officials. Moscow expects there could be some demand for Russian education.

The MSU also has established an Information Centre at the Beijing University. It also has hired an agent in North America, and launched a website designed to attract new students from abroad.

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