UNEC and Beijing Foreign Studies University Commence Cooperation
A delegation from the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) of the People’s Republic of China visited the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC).
During the meeting held with UNEC Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov, the parties discussed the main directions and prospects for cooperation between the two higher education institutions.
Professor Adalat Muradov provided an overview of the international approach implemented at UNEC in the teaching of the English language, emphasizing that the principal objective is to ensure that all UNEC graduates attain at least an intermediate level of English proficiency. The Rector also expressed UNEC’s interest in studying BFSU’s experience in the field of foreign language instruction. He underlined that teaching and administrative management at UNEC have been fully digitalized, and that the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into these processes is envisaged in the near future. The establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at UNEC, he noted, will constitute one of the major steps in this direction.
Professor Muradov further highlighted that, since 2019, on the initiative of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Ms. Leyla Aliyeva, online Chinese language courses have been organized at UNEC through the Confucius Institute, engaging more than 500 young participants. He emphasized the growing public interest in the study of the Chinese language across the country.
The Rector also briefed the delegation on the agreements and understandings reached with several universities and institutions during his recent visit to China, as well as on the ongoing activities carried out within this framework.
Vice-President of BFSU, Mr. Zhao Gang, highly commended UNEC’s successful performance in international rankings and its notable achievements in the digitalization of education. He stated that Beijing Foreign Studies University offers instruction in 101 foreign languages, including Azerbaijani, and operates an innovative platform named “MOG” that supports and promotes foreign language learning.
During the discussions, the parties reached an agreement on developing cooperation in several areas, including student and faculty exchange, the implementation of a dual degree programme in “Foreign Language + Economics,” the organization of English language training for UNEC faculty, the application of BFSU’s expertise in foreign language teaching, the establishment of a Foreign Language Learning Centre at UNEC, as well as the joint organization of scientific conferences and translation projects.