Continuing education courses as a segment of the model of organizational and methodological support for teaching the Russian language in the Republic of India

The article presents an analysis of the demand for additional education courses in the Russian language among students and teachers of universities in the Republic of India. The study is based on the experience of working at the Center for Open Education in Russian and Russian Language Teaching of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, opened by the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University named after K. Minin on the basis of the Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut. Surveys of students and teachers of universities in India showed a high interest in learning the Russian language, the respondents' expectations can be divided into two blocks: acquaintance with the Russian language and culture in a group of students who are just beginning to learn Russian, and the desire to improve their speaking and writing skills in Russian, and improve their teaching methods in a group of master's students, postgraduates, and teachers. The demand for courses in the study of the Russian language and Russian culture, their high rating by students indicates the effectiveness of using this teaching format. In connection with the introduction of the New Education Policy (2020), the status of the Russian language is changing in the Republic of India. The Russian language, along with other foreign languages, is included in the training program for schoolchildren. Consequently, the need for Russian language teachers at various levels of education is growing – both in universities and in schools. Short-term courses of additional education addressed to different categories of students, and advanced training courses for Russian language teachers are capable of filling the educational gaps that arise with the increasing interest in the Russian language and culture among Indian citizens.