Russia to list Chinese as national exam subject in...

Russian students study Chinese language. [Photo: people.com.cn]

Russian education officials say Chinese will be added to the list of languages covered under the country's national exams. Media outlet Sputnik cited Russia educational official Reshetnikova Oksana as saying Chinese would be added to the list in 2020.

Russian officials say Chinese will be added to the exam list for grade 9 students even earlier, making the list in 2018, followed by an exam for grade 11 students being added in 2020.

Education officials in Russia have been working on the addition of the Chinese language to the exam schedule for the last two years, but say further work needs to be completed on this matter.

Russian middle-school students can currently choose among English, French, German, and Spanish when writing exams before moving on to the next level of schooling.

Education data from Russia shows that more than 17,000 students in the country are currently studying the Chinese language, which is being taught at 123 national primary and middle schools.