First Russian Teacher begins working at National Chushan Senior High School under an MOE Pilot Project

Liubov Semenova, the first Russian teacher to come to Taiwan under the Introduce Russian Teachers to Taiwanese Schools to Promote Russian Language and Culture pilot project began working at National Chushan Senior High School in Nantou County on September 1, 2018. 

Liubov is a graduate of Moscow City University, one of the best pedagogical universities in the Russian Federation, and she has a Master of Education degree and a Bachelor of Mandarin Chines degree. This pilot project will last from September 1, 2018 till August 31 next year. It is the first time that Taiwan has officially placed Russian teachers in local schools to promote study of Russia’s language and culture.

The idea arose when the Rector of MCU, Dr. Igor Remorenko met with Political Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Yao Leehter in May, 2017 during a visit to Taiwan at the invitation of the Ministry of Education. Both sides formally agreed that the K-12 Education Administration would introduce Russian teachers into elementary, junior high, and senior secondary schools in Taiwan, to promote the learning of Russian language and culture. The Education Division of the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission (ED TMECCC) followed up on this and negotiated with the parties concerned, and after one and a half years of hard work, the very first Russian teacher from Moscow City University was selected and sent to Taiwan. This marks a new direction for academic cooperation between Russia and Taiwan.

Liubov has quickly become accustomed to her new surroundings and given the similarity between the teacher’s age and her students’ age, and her excellent teaching methodology, she is very popular with the students. As well as the regular Russian language courses, a special club called “Russian Language Basic” has been formed, where Liubov shares her knowledge of Russian culture, such as its food, festivals, and music. It is hoped that more and more Taiwanese people will get to know more about Russia, a mysterious country to us, through the courses and activities. 

Photo:Liubov Semenova, from Moscow City University in Russia, teaching Russian language and culture at National Chushan Senior High School.