More than 400 primary and middle school headmasters from 42
states of the United States are paying a visit to China from June
28 to July 1 to gain a better understanding of the Chinese culture
and how to promote Chinese language teaching.
Chinese Minister of Education Zhou Ji on Friday held a welcoming
ceremony for the U.S. guests at the Great Hall of the People,
saying the exchange activity, dubbed "Chinese Bridge for American
Schools", will help teaching staff from both countries to meet each
other and strengthen cooperation in the future.
"Under the inevitable sway of economic globalization this
century, we educators have a responsibility to broaden and extend
the scope of China-U.S. exchange and cooperation by instilling in
the younger generations a proficiency in our own language and
culture and a good understanding of the language and culture of
other countries," Zhou said.
He said that the Chinese government attached great importance to
foreign language education, with pupils starting to learn English
from the third year at primary schools. Statistics show that
currently more than 200 million Chinese people are learning a
foreign language.
"Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the
world," Zhou said. With sustainable economic growth and further
opening-up policies, China has established far-reaching relations
with the outside world. More people have turned their eyes to
China, and Mandarin learning has become the latest fashion. Thirty
million people worldwide are learning Chinese? and more than
2,500 universities in 100 countries and regions run Chinese
courses. Out of 3,000 U.S. universities, nearly 800 have set up
courses in Chinese.
"The development of Chinese in U.S. schools will not only help
U.S. youngsters learn about the Chinese culture, but also lay good
foundations for friendship between young people of the two
countries," Zhou added.
The National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language
(NOTCFL) in China and the College Board in the United States
jointly sponsored the exchange activity.
An official with the NOTCFL revealed that the program would
continue over the next five years and invite 600 U.S. delegates
every year to China.
"We will also send Chinese teachers to teach in the United
States, develop relevant scholarships and teaching materials, and
conduct training programs," the official said.?
(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2006)