Russian higher education institutions can boost their reputations by teaching in English as well as Russian, Education Minister Andrei Fursenko said on Tuesday.

He said the move would help to counter the low world rating of the country's universities.

Moscow State University, the highest rated Russian educational establishment, is ranked 74th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

"English...is most commonly understood by students from around the world, and scientific literature is published in this language," Fursenko said.

He also said the move would not present many problems, as "Many of our professors read lectures abroad in English and our leading institutions often invite foreign specialists to read lectures."

"I think courses in English will appear in the next two to three years," he added.

MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti)