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Russian language popularity rises in UK classrooms

The number of schoolchildren who choose Russian for admission to universities has also grown

LONDON, June 3. /TASS/. The number of British school graduates who choose to take official Russian exams after completing basic general education has risen by 47% in three years, despite the hostile policy of the government towards Russia, according to the Education Ministry of the United Kingdom.

In 2022, some 2,400 students sat for the Russian language GCSE exam. A year later, that number increased to 3,300, and in 2024 to 3,500.

This certificate is issued in the kingdom after the 11th grade.

The number of schoolchildren who choose Russian for admission to universities has also grown. In 2019, 693 high school graduates took the A-level exam in Russian, while five years later that number increased to 1,044.

As Aina Mamayeva, head of the London-based Znanie educational center, said in an interview with TASS, an increasing number of parents of applicants understand that the Russian language "can become a passport to a successful life. I tell all our students to enroll in the most prestigious universities. All leading universities, such as Cambridge University, have Russian language departments, despite the political landscape. The Russian language can help them get there," Mamayeva said.

Russian language graduates include native Englishmen who have no direct Russian ancestors, as well as children from Russian-speaking families, she said. The exam consists of several parts, including speaking, listening, and writing an essay.

A source at one of the certification centers told TASS that an even greater increase in the number of applicants taking the Russian language exam is expected this year. According to the source, the surge is largely due to the influx of Ukrainian refugees, who cannot take the Ukrainian language to get higher exam scores.

Previously, schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland provided children with the opportunity to take the Ukrainian language exam at the end of secondary school, but these exams were canceled in 1995 due to the low number of applicants. According to Ukraine, after the start of the Russian special military operation, about 30,000 children moved from Ukraine to the UK. The Ministry of Education of the Kingdom noted that they will work with the certification centers to bring back the Ukrainian language exam back.

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