Vitebsk Medical University has established a branch in Sri Lanka

September 23, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotov - BELTA /. Vitebsk State Medical University (VSMU) has completed the work on establishing a branch of the university in Sri Lanka and plans to launch the educational process by the end of the year, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and International Relations Natalia Konevalova told a BELTA correspondent. The project was implemented in close cooperation with the Sri Lankan PATHE Academy, on the basis of which the branch of the Belarusian university will operate. Vitebsk specialists have fully prepared the material base for training, developed programs in English, and adapted them to the teaching conditions in this country. In addition, with the direct participation of VSMU, training has been conducted and a teaching staff for the branch has been formed, and the educational process will be carried out under the supervision of the teaching staff of the medical university. The branch is fully ready to admit applicants, and the legal registration of the project is planned to be completed in the near future, Natalia Konevalova added. VSMU has been training students from Sri Lanka since 1982. Today, more than 160 young men and women from this country are studying at the university. The establishment of a branch in Sri Lanka will not only expand the contingent of future students but also improve the quality of training for applicants. After completing their studies directly in their country under the VSMU program, young people will come to Vitebsk better prepared and adapted to studying at the Vitebsk university. Training at the Sri Lankan branch of VSMU will be conducted in subjects of a medical and biological profile - biology, chemistry, physics, and the program also includes mathematics and Russian as a foreign language. Knowledge of the Russian language is a necessary, but not mandatory, condition for studying at Vitebsk Medical University. Since 2002, the university has been training international students in the English medium format, using English as an intermediary language. In 2008, the first group of foreign specialists who completed their training in this format graduated. For international students in the 1st and 2nd years, teaching is conducted in English; the university has created the necessary educational and methodological support for this, and teachers are fluent in English. Russian is introduced starting from the third year, as students begin to work directly with patients in medical institutions. The introduction of the English medium format has allowed the medical university to improve the quality of educational services for foreign citizens and, as a result, to enhance the university's prestige and competitiveness in the international educational environment. Currently, students from 26 countries are studying at VSMU. The medical university began training foreign citizens in 1982. During this time, representatives from more than 60 countries have received knowledge and professional training in Vitebsk, and they work in 109 countries on all continents.