On 19th February, PSU hosted II International Educational Forum “Increasing the quality of foreign language training in the Penza Region schools”.

O. Yagov, Deputy Chairman of the Penza Region government, A. Voronkov, Minister of Education of the Penza Region, D. Artamonov, Vice-Rector of Penza State University, teachers of universities, secondary educational establishments, schools, non-governmental language schools, and post-graduate students took part in the Forum.

The Forum started with a round table, where A.Voronkov told the participants about the programme aimed at developing the professional level and providing international training practice of foreign language teachers of regional schools. As it is planned that unified state exam in English will be compulsory since 2022, the Penza Region has been implementing the project to increase qualification of regional schools teachers. Under this project, regional schools teachers are taking professional development courses at PSU which include classes and workshops from native speakers. Then the teachers have a final test, after which 12 winners will have an opportunity to go to Great Britain and Germany to have an internship.

O. Yagov emphasized that it is necessary to have a good level of English owing to globalization processes which affect all spheres of life. He added that there is also a suggestion to include language shifts to summer camps where schoolchildren could learn languages in the summertime.

Over three years, about 180 teachers have taken part in this programme, 150 of them being teachers of English. In 2019 teachers of German got an opportunity to undertake internships for the first time. One of the partners of the programme “Increasing the quality of foreign language training in the Penza Region schools” is East Sussex College (Great Britain), where the Penza Region teachers had internships.

At the plenary meeting, letters of gratitude from the Penza Region governor were awarded to six teachers of English, as well as 12 certificates in international internships. After that, the work continued in three sections and online-seminar with the USA and Great Britain Universities representatives was held.