The event was organized by Universum Plus Center of KFU and the Federal Ministry of Education of Austria.

Employees of the Federal Ministry presented master classes in German language teaching for local educators. The lessons included information about Austrian geography, society, and culture, and were held exclusively in German.

Representative of the Ministry Norbert Habelt told us that such courses have taken place in Russia for 15 years, but this was the first such event in Kazan. Mr. Habelt promotes Austrian culture in Russia and works closely with German language teachers.

He said, “I cannot say that I am well informed about the structure of the Russian educational system, but the first difference I saw with the Austrian system is that here kids finish school at an earlier age. In Austria youngsters enroll in universities at 18 or 19, here it can happen at 16 or 17. That surprised me.

Also, in Austria kids are distributed to a general middle school or a gymnasium after elementary school, that's why it's called “people’s school”. Initial social, intellectual and cultural background varies among kids, so these first years determine where they should study further. We think that kids at this age are still not fully able to choose their direction and need to make that decision during studies”.

Mr. Habelt noted that Russia is number one in the world by the number of people studying German, and locals show very good pronunciation skills, among other things.

The Austrian guests also met with First Vice-Rector Riyaz Minzaripov. The sides agreed to organize annual advanced training courses for teachers of German at KFU – naturally, held by the Austrian teams of experts.

Norbert Habelt commented, “We see some very big interest from the teachers who came this time. So, obviously, this shouldn’t be a one-off seminar – that would be ineffective. Our program will be developed and modernized, although it already includes everything necessary about Austrian culture and society. Our goal is to familiarize people of other countries with Austria, its traditions, peculiarities, and culture”.

Manager of Universum Plus Center Olga Donetskaya (who is also a German language specialist and educator) said that such cooperation is a significant step for the University. Foreign visitors are eager to establish long-term links, and this is a sign of high esteem.