THE new Confucius Institute at Rhodes University was launched in a ceremony attended by members of the Rhodes International Office, Rhodes Vice-Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat, Prof Yue and other representatives of the Jinan University.
THE new Confucius Institute at Rhodes University was launched in a ceremony attended by members of the Rhodes International Office, Rhodes Vice-Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat, Prof Yue and other representatives of the Jinan University.
The Confucius Institute, which is funded by the International Council for Chinese Language, will co-ordinate the teaching of Mandarin at the Rhodes School of Languages. They will also help organise activities and events based on Chinese-related themes.
The opening and development of the Confucius Institute is in partnership with the Jinan University (JNU) from Guangzhou in the Peoples’ Republic of China. As part of this partnership, Prof Ma Yue , an experienced expert in second language teaching, will help develop the course.
According to Prof Marius Vermaak, Dean of Rhodes International Office, "the plan is that the teaching of Chinese will serve as a stimulus to develop other academic courses and research in Chinese Studies at Rhodes."
The intention is to begin in 2009 with a one-year course, which could be later extended to a full three-year major. "We hope that Rhodes will soon be able to offer students the opportunity to study one of the most important factors that will determine their future careers and lives – the rise of China," Vermaak added.
