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Centres testing migrants’ Russian language skills issue 18,000 certificates

MOSCOW, January 19, 12:16 /ITAR-TASS/. Labour migrants have received over 18,000 certificates after successfully passing basic Russian language skills for the first six months of 2013, the government said on its website on Sunday.

At present, there are 190 centres testing foreign workers’ skills of Russian as a foreign language in Russia and abroad.

“At the same time leading higher education organisations carry out such tests on the basis of other institutions,” the statement read. “Tests are carried out on the basis of 340 organisations located in Russia, the CIS and non-CIS countries. In the first half of 2013 they have issued over 18,000 certificates on basic Russian language skills to migrants.”

The Russian Education and Science Ministry supports and promotes enlargement of a network of centres testing Russian language skills. Such centres have already been opened in Georgia and Latvia.

Moreover, the Russian Federal Migration Service implements a pilot project on social adaptation of migrants in Tambov, a city about 480 kilometers south-southeast of Moscow, and Orenburg, a city in Russia’s South Urals. The project is targeted at testing methods for teaching migrants the Russian language, history and basic laws.

The State Duma, lower house of Russian parliament, adopted a law obliging as of 2015 foreign citizens, applying for the Russian visa or Russian citizenship or arriving in the country without visas with work permits, to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language, history and basic laws.

To fulfil this law the Education and Science Ministry together with the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia develop requirements for exams in the Russian language, history and laws.

Moreover, the Russian Language Council under the government develops a system of education and Russian language testing for foreign citizens and Russian compatriots abroad on the basis of online learning and media resources.

In 2012 Russia introduced obligatory testing in Russian for migrants employed in the utilities sector, retail and social services.

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