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A Chinese language exam is likely to be introduced inRussian schools from 2018, according to a national-level education body in Russia.

“There is a plan to introduce the Chinese language test to the Basic State Exam in 2018and to the Unified State Exam in 2020,” Oxana Reshetnikova, Director of the RussianFederal Institute for Pedagogical Measurements, was quoted as saying by the local Moskvanews agency on Tuesday.

Russia’s Basic State Exam is a series of obligatory examinations for ninth grade studentsand the Unified State Exam for 11th grade students necessary to qualify for universityeducation.

Takers of the two exams currently have a choice of English, German, French and Spanishas part of the exam’s foreign language component.

The Chinese language is now taught in 123 educational institutions in 34 regions in Russia,with the total number of student learners exceeding 17,000, of which around 5,000 are ineighth to 11th grades, according to Russia’s education watchdog.