UNIMALNEWS | Kazan – In a move to enhance its international partnerships, Universitas Malikussaleh (Unimal) has established a collaboration with Kazan Federal University (KFU), the largest university in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, June 27, 2024.

This agreement is part of educational diplomacy efforts between Aceh Province and Russia, initiated by the Wali Nanggroe Institute since 2023. The signing involved KFU, Universitas Malikussaleh, and Universitas Syiah Kuala.

Prof. Danis Nurgaliev, Vice Rector for Oil and Gas Technology and Geosciences, emphasized that KFU, located on Kremlevskaya Street in Kazan, has evolved into not only the top university in Kazan but also one of the leading institutions in Russia. Founded in 1804 by Emperor Alexander I and previously attended by Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin, KFU has been known as Kazan Federal University since 2010.

"Since 2010, KFU has developed 600 study programs at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels across various fields, including science, physics, mathematics, IT, and social sciences. The university also offers pre-university courses, such as Russian language classes. Since 1977, KFU has welcomed international students, currently hosting 12,500 foreign students out of a total of 52,000," stated Prof. Nurgaliev.

Regarding this partnership with one of Russia's top universities, Unimal Rector Prof. Dr. Herman Fithra highlighted the exceptional opportunity it presents. "We must maximize this chance, especially given KFU's rapid advancements in social sciences and vocational courses," he remarked.

During the MoU signing event, Unimalnews spoke with several Indonesian students, including Evan Saputra from Aceh. Evan, a teacher at MAN 3 Bireuen and a 2013 graduate of a Moroccan university, is currently pursuing a master's degree in Legal Religious Studies at KFU. "I received a scholarship from the Russian government and am set to complete my studies this year," shared Evan, who is writing a thesis on the Implementation of Blasphemy Laws in Indonesia.

As of now, 77 Indonesian students have enrolled at Kazan Federal University (KFU), which holds impressive rankings of 38th globally in Petroleum Engineering, 98th in Education and Training, and between 101-150 in Linguistics. Other Indonesian universities collaborating with KFU include Universitas Islam K.H. Ruhiat, Cipasung; STIA Al-Falah, Bandung; STIA Miftahul Huda, Subang; Universitas Malikussaleh; and Universitas Syiah Kuala.[tkf/kur]