Former Soviet Union: The East looks West

[Rusiko Amirejibi-Mullen]

Some Georgian parents thought Russian was stll important and were  
taking their children to this school number 9 of the Ministry of  
Defense of the Russian Federation (located in Tbilisi). One day Russia  
got angry at Georgia for arresting Russian spies and on October 4,  
2006 pupils and teachers who studie and worked at  school # 9 found a  
notice:
? Distinguished  parents, from October 4, 2006  studies for the  
citizens of Georgia at our school have been terminated.?

 From this school 70 pupils ? citizens of Georgia and 25 teachers have  
summarily been discharged.  In addition, at school number 17 in  
Batumi, Georgia, 30 pupils have been dismissed without explanation.


Quoting Harold Schiffman <hfsclpp at gmail.com>:

>  THE EAST LOOKS WEST
>
> All across the former Soviet Union, thousands of students are making the
> choice to turn away from the Russian language and embrace English, as well
> as the education standards of Western Europe and America, says Owen Matthews
> of Newsweek.
>
> For example:
>
>    - In one of Ukraine's leading universities, Kiev's Mohyla Academy,
>    courses are taught in Ukrainian and English only.
>    - Azerbaijan's leading private university, the Khazar University in Baku,
>    teaches primarily in English and offers U.S.-style M.B.A. courses.
>    - The Georgian American University in Tbilisi, the Black Sea University
>    in Tbilisi, and the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan also
>    teach primarily in English.
>    - Georgia is funding scholarships for 1,000 local students to attend top
>    Western universities, and has recruited 300 U.S. and European   
> professors to
>    teach part time at major Georgian universities.
>
> Despite the upsurge in English, Moscow has sought to re-establish the
> importance of the Russian language:
>
>    - Last year the Kremlin founded Russki Mir, a grant-dispensing body that
>    gives away $22 million a year to champion the Russian language.
>    - By the end of this year, the group plans to open as many as 15
>    Russian-language centers in ex-Soviet and Western countries.
>
> Source: Owen Matthews, "The East Looks West," Newsweek, June 9, 2008.
>
> For text:
>
> http://www.newsweek.com/id/139397
>
> For more on International Issues:
>
> http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=26
>
>
>
> http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?page=article&Article_ID=16652
>
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