(Unofficial translation)

According to a report by the Chinese language newspaper “Golden Phoenix”, Myanmar’s Taungdwingyi Chinese Mutual Support Association and the Fuqing Confucius Institute of Mandalay organized an opening ceremony for the first Chinese language conversation class in Taungdwingyi. The chairman of the Taungdwingyi Chinese Mutual Support Association and the president of the Fuqing  Confucius Institute, Dr Li Zuqing, Professor He Lin from the Chinese side, representatives of the local Chinese Mutual Support Association, the head of the Taungdwingyi municipal government U Aung Tu, as well as other government staff, parents and students, attended the ceremony.

In his keynote speech, the head of the Taungdwingyi municipal government U Aung Tu said that “at the peak of Myanmar’s reform and opening up, to better connect with the international community we should learn more new knowledge and language”. He encouraged the students to use their summer holiday to study Chinese, one of the major international languages, “because once you can speak Chinese, you can travel the world”. President Li also commented that studying Chinese will cultivate local human resources and benefit society.

A local Chinese representative said that the conversation class filled a void in Chinese language education in the area and will give young people a new opportunity to learn foreign languages. Allegedly 125 people have registered for the conversation class.

To expand the influence of Chinese language education, the Fuqing Confucius Institute of Mandalay has strengthened its support to Chinese education in nearby areas and sent local Chinese teachers to support the efforts.

It is reported that this new Chinese language class has several features: it is the first one in Taungdwingyi in more than 5 decades, the first one with local official support, and more than half of the students are local Burmans or Hindus. This reflects the integration of Chinese language into mainstream education.

The two teachers dispatched to Taungdwingyi are both local Burmans. They received their Master’s degrees in linguistic studies in China’s Yunnan University. Mandalay’s Fuqing Confucius Institute is increasing its locations and Chinese language education is merging into the mainstream of the society.

Link: http://www.chinanews.com/hwjy/2013/03-14/4643820.shtml