As a group of African engineering students was visiting different Russia last week, Rwandans and other Africans were urged to leverage many opportunities that Russia offers in education.
Currently, Russia offers free education in varied study areas ranging from power generation, medicine, biotechnology, chemistry, ecology and other areas, giving opportunities to international students from Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.
However, a trip to Russian academic institutes demonstrates that there is still lack of awareness about the opportunities that the country offers to African students who aspires to be the next generation of nuclear scientists and other specialists.
Last week, a group of engineering students from Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Uganda visited a number of academic institutions in Russia and centres of excellence, including Tomsk Polytechnic University and the National Research Nuclear University (MEPHI).
Irina Sarkisyan, the manager at the center for international programs from the Academy of Rosatom, said there are many opportunities for continuing education for Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in Russia, calling on students to leverage those opportunities.
"We see Africa as a continent of great minds and we think offering such opportunities will contribute to enabling the continent to have the generation with the right skills to promote socio-economic development and transformation,” she said.
Rosatom is a Russian atomic agency currently working with African countries to help them prepare for nuclear industry, an industry that is attracting the attention of many states on the continent.
Sarkisyan said one of the important aspects of the growing partnerships between Russia and African countries is based on providing opportunities to individuals to go and pursue nuclear studies and other related studies in Russia.
Already, the agency works with at least 18 universities to offer scholarships to international students, including Africans.
Advanced facilities
A tour to some of these institutions give a sneak peek into what students are able to access when they are at school.
At Tomsk Polytechnic University, the school is equipped with some of the advanced facilities like reactors that students use to perform research, cyclotrons, and radiation therapy equipment used for other educational purposes.
Students like those who pursue medicine have opportunity to get hands-on skills at Tomsk Regional Oncology Centre, which serves as a platform for them to carry out research projects and conduct internships.
A few hours from Moscow, the capital of Russia, sits Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering of MEPhI, one of the top best schools in the country.
Alexander Nakhabov, the school’s deputy head gave the visiting delegation an extensive tour of the school and introduced some of the Africans pursuing their studies at the university.
Unfortunately, there were no Rwandans.
"My hope is to see Rwandans joining the university but also other institutes, because I am aware the country has ambitious plans of joining the nuclear industry,” the professor told The New Times.
Nakhabov reckoned that the university has education models that allow knowledge sharing with countries, highlighting an example of sending professors to deliver free lectures to students in Africa, Asia and Middle East.
"For instance, my senior colleague from here went to Rwanda last week to provide short lecture at the University of Rwanda. We plan to sign a memorandum of understanding between our university and the University of Rwanda,” he revealed.
Next year, he added, "I hope to see more activities and exchanges happening between the two universities, insisting that training projects are key to develop a critical mass of skilled generation who are able to solve complex problems.”
There are already tens of students from Tanzanian, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, and Nigeria who are pursuing different programmes in Russia at different universities.
Paul Atta Amoah is one of the African students who are pursuing their studies at the Tomsk Polytechnic University.
"No matter which background you have, you should consider the educational opportunities offered here because they will be needed in the future,” he said, encouraging students to tap the existing opportunities.
Amoah believes the skills they are acquiring at these universities will be important and can never go to waste.
"I do know that after my experience here, I’ll be able to offer a lot of services to many countries who are particularly considering adopting nuclear technology,” he said.
Students at the Tomsk Polytechnic University and MEPhI are already conducting nuclear research in everything from medicine, mineral and space exploration, oil and gas extraction, and airport operations, among others.