‘Live’ teachers to come — but it is unclear when
The creators of Ana Tele are trying to attract those willing to learn
The new version of the online platform for learning the Tatar language, Ana Tele, did indeed cost 123 million rubles, and work on it lasted nine months, but when live lessons with teachers will be available is unknown. These were the conclusions drawn from discussions between the developers’ representatives and journalists. Incidentally, 1,355 people had registered on Ana Tele as of yesterday; the platform’s launch was announced in early August. Read more in the Realnoe Vremya report.
Ana Tele now operates on Yandex servers
The figures were announced by Tatarstan’s deputy minister of education and science, Minzaliya Zakirova, who also noted that the platform was presented at the ministry’s traditional August meeting. She reminded that Ana Tele was created in 2013, with leading experts working on its content at the time, developing both methodology and technical infrastructure.
After EF Education First left Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science, together with the republic’s Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Digital Development, held consultations with domestic IT companies and specialists on transferring the project to Russian platforms. As a result, Ana Tele is now operating on Yandex servers.
Zakirova pointed out that the work was carried out jointly with the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, the Gabdulla Ibrahimov Institute of Language, Literature and Art, the Institute of Applied Semiotics, Kazan Federal University, and the Institute for the Development of Education.
As a result, the project’s external partner became Progress PLC. Its executive director, Eduard Baldakov (who, it should be recalled, also launched the first version of the platform), stressed that there is no more modern and comprehensive school. Its main feature, he said, is that it “develops speaking skills and listening comprehension.”
Now also available on mobile phones
But the platform, developed by 40 programmers, still does not offer live lessons with teachers.
“As of today, no timeline has been set,” Zakirova responded. But she confirmed that the platform’s budget amounts to 123 million rubles.
When Baldakov was asked what makes the platform new, he pointed out that a mobile, adaptive version has been implemented on the site. Secondly, the issue of creating a platform that is completely independent of foreign imports has been resolved.
The authors stress that the site’s key feature is live interaction with a teacher. But it has not been implemented. And no timeline for its implementation has been set.
“The existing materials could not simply be “transferred” onto the new platform,” Zakirova added.
The executive director of Progress also listed what the platform currently offers: 290 lessons, 5,441 exercises, and more than 280 videos. However, he omitted to mention that some of the images are clearly drawn or enhanced with AI (as they were originally created in the early 2010s). For example, one can see here a photo of the Old Tatar Settlement before the construction of the modern embankment.
The academic director of the online school, Kadriya Fatkhullova, noted that the most challenging materials, at levels 8–9, are devoted to the culture, literature, and prominent figures of Tatarstan. They also provide information about the “modern republic.” Perhaps somewhere on the portal there are videos that were not filmed more than 10 years ago, but so far none have been found.
“We have said that there is no limit to perfection,” Zakirova remarked. “We will continue to improve the capabilities of the Ana Tele school. As of today, you can see what opportunities exist and who is learning the Tatar language. Further plans of the Ministry of Education, together with our colleagues, involve enhancing the school’s capabilities. Of course, we are working on this.”