| Ishan Ibrahim |
A LOCAL, Ahmad Iskandar bin Haji Mohd Taha, was recently awarded the Russian Government Scholarship to pursue his Masters in Business Management in Moscow, Russia.
He becomes the first Bruneian to be presented with the prestigious grant since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and the Russian Federation.
A hint of suppressed excitement was etched across Ahmad Iskandar’s face as he received the scholarship from Vladlen Semivolos, the Russian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, at the Russian Embassy in Kampong Manggis Dua yesterday.
Ahmad Iskandar will be departing for Russia tomorrow.
Asked why he chose Russia, Ahmad, who was previously working with Mitsubishi Corporation, replied: “The country is recognised as a centre of excellence in business studies.”
He added: “I only know a smattering of Russian, and I will be learning the language at the university itself.”
Semivolos said that the awarding of the scholarship to Ahmad Iskandar “is a major breakthrough and has a special meaning for us,” adding that “this is a big step forward in the development of educational ties between Russia and Brunei, which will contribute to the deepening of mutual understanding and friendship between the young people of both countries.”
Ahmad Iskandar had to undergo a strenuous selection process, beating off stiff competition before eventually succeeding in being enrolled into one of Russia’s top higher education institutions — the Higher School of Economics (HSE).
The institution is one of the preeminent economics and social sciences universities in the world, and combines Russian education traditions with the best international teaching and research practices.
It has been listed in the QS World University Rankings 2017 as being among the top 100 universities in the world for Economics and Econometrics, Sociology, Politics and International Studies; top 150 for Accounting & Finance; and top 200 for Mathematics, Business & Management Studies, History, Philosophy, Linguistics, and Communication & Media Studies.
The Russian Ambassador added that 2017 has seen remarkable progress in the development of education ties between Russia and Brunei.
Most notable was Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) establishing cooperation with Saint-Petersburg State University through the signing of a memorandum of understanding and the initiation of a Student Exchange Agreement.
“At this stage there is as yet only one Russian student pursuing studies in Brunei – a Master’s degree under the Brunei Government scholarship in UBD,” said the ambassador.
The education ministries of both countries are also currently working on a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in higher education and science, which will become an umbrella agreement contributing to the development of exchanges and partnership relations between institutions of higher learning in Russia and Brunei.
“In our view, as a next step we need to launch discussions on the signing of an agreement on mutual recognition of higher education qualifications and degrees, so as to support wider practical ties in the field of education, strengthen mutual understanding and people-to-people contacts between our countries,” Semivolos added. He also explained that the meeting last year in the Russian city of Sochi between His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Russian President Vladimir Putin – which saw discussions in the fields of energy, trade, education, cultural and other issues of common interests – was a historic milestone which paved the way for excellent future bilateral relations between the two nations.
Over the past few years Russia has been gradually opening up its universities to the world and facilitating enrollment to foreign students; examples of these steps include the launching of new programmes taught in English at many Russian universities.
International students can choose from 896 universities in 85 regions across the country, from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok; 205 fields of studies, from mathematics and natural sciences to drama and arts; 657 subjects in Bachelor’s, Master’s, specialist and postgraduate programmes (medical traineeships, postgraduate military courses), as well as internships and assistantships.
“As a tertiary education destination, Russia is attractive not only due to its affordability, but also because it is a world-renowned leader in training mathematicians, physicists, chemists, geologists, engineers, programmers, physicians, and specialists in other natural sciences,” said the ambassador.
At present, more than 200,000 people from 168 countries are studying at Russian universities, translating to one in every 20 of the overall university student population in Russia.
Bruneians interested in finding out more about the Russian Government Scholarship and educational opportunities in Russia are invited to sift through the information on the website www.russia-edu.ru and the RUSSIA.STUDY portal.
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