Croatians Say ‘Da!’ to Cash and Russian
16/08/2007
ZAGREB (AFP) - Increasing numbers of Croatians want to see Russian taught in the country's schools once more so they can cash in on the economic opportunities the language offers, local media reported Sunday.
This year nearly 500 students fought to win one of only 40 places in the faculty of letters in Zagreb, the only university to teach Russian, faculty head Miljenko Jurkovic told the Slobodna Dalmacija daily.
"It's obvious that the candidates saw the profitability of studying Russian, as the demand has grown", said Jurkovic.
Russian disappeared from the post-communist curriculum as much for economic as ideological reasons, the newspaper reported.
But as more Croatian companies do business in the former Soviet Union and increasing numbers of Russian tourists holiday on the Adriatic coast, more and more people see the need for the language, he said.
During the communist era, when Croatia was a part of what was then Yugoslavia, Russian was a required subject for many students.
These days, English, German and Italian take pride of place in the country's schools.
Croatians Say ‘Da!’ to Cash and Russian
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