Rising interest in Mandarin Chinese among students in the UK means that additional qualified teachers are needed to teach the language, writes Katharine Carruthers of the Institute Of Education Confucius Institute for Schools at University College London. In this commentary, Carruthers shares why UK schools should add more Mandarin Chinese courses and teachers as well as explore best practices for teaching the language.
Some college students in Uganda are learning Mandarin Chinese in an effort to improve their chances of employment. Some students of the Confucius Institute also are teaching the language to others throughout Uganda as the country continues to build business partnerships with China.
High-school students in Iowa may not be able to take Mandarin Chinese-language courses because of budget cuts at the University of Iowa. Some Iowa high schools teach the language as part of the university's Confucius Institute, which will close next July because of funding cuts.
The Chinese government has sponsored hundreds of Confucius Institutes, giving students on college campuses around the world the opportunity to learn about Chinese language and culture. Accepting an institute also tends to help a college's bottom line. However, some worry that the restriction the Chinese put on schools taking their funding force colleges to avoid topics disliked by the Chinese, such as the Dalai Lama or Taiwan.
China's Guest Teacher Program has placed 176 teachers in US schools, where they teach Mandarin Chinese and culture. The yearlong programme is overseen by the Chinese Confucius Institute Headquarters and the Chinese Language & Culture Initiatives at the College Board. Officials say the teachers, who undergo a rigorous selection process, help fill a shortage of Chinese-language teachers in the US as schools there work to offer more global lessons.
As the demand for Chinese language instruction grows and funding for foreign language learning decreases, China's government is expanding its Confucius Institutes, which provide visiting Chinese faculty to teach the Mandarin language and Chinese culture at universities around the world. While some schools have decided against hosting an institute because of concerns over curriculum and politics, others say the programs steer away from political issues and help students better appreciate Chinese culture.