Six secondary schools selected for Chinese language pilot project

JOHN NDITI in MOROGORO

THE Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training (MESTV) has picked six secondary schools for a special programme for students to learn Chinese language starting this year.

Already 12 Chinese language teachers from China have completed a teaching methodology course on how to teach the subject in the six selected secondary schools.

A principal education officer from the ministry, Mr Salum Salum, named the schools in the special programme, Phase One, as, Benjamin Mkapa and Chang’ombe secondary schools in Dar es Salaam Region; Msalato and Dodoma secondary schools in Dodoma Region and Morogoro and Kilakala secondary schools in Morogoro Region.

Mr Salum revealed when launching training workshop for teachers who will teach Chinese language in the named schools, organised by the Confucius Institute of China-University of Dodoma (UDOM) Partnership.

“The workshop is aimed at preparing and coming up with teaching strategies before the schools open this month; so that they can start teaching the Chinese language subject in the secondary schools,” he pointed out.

Mr Salum noted further that the students would be examined in the Chinese language subject and graded like any other subject taught in secondary schools, such as French and German.

The MESTV official said the ministry had noted the importance of Chinese language subject in secondary schools so that students can access opportunities available in China, including further education.

The Director of Confucius Institute-UDOM, Ms Ambar Zheng, said the 12 language teachers from China had received training on how to conduct the subject in secondary schools. She said each secondary school in the three regions will receive two teachers for the purpose, to start the project this month.

She commended cooperation and assistance received from both Tanzania and Chinese government and respective ministries, to enable implementation of the programme in the six secondary schools.

Muslim University of Morogoro (MUM) Vice-Chancellor Hamza Njozi commended the government of China for its continuing support in different areas, including education in Universities in the country.

Confucius Institutes have been compared to language and culture promotion organisations from European countries (but with centres in Tanzania), such as France’s Alliance Française and Germany’s Goethe-Institute.

Commencement of Chinese teaching in secondary schools is another initiative taken by the government to ensure that Tanzanians learn Chinese to take advantages of opportunities available in China and those offered by the Chinese people.

Recent years have seen a growth in partnerships between Tanzania and China, with Chinese experts and other personnel being involved in almost all development sectors, ranging from construction to petty trading.

Meanwhile, Tanzanians have of late taken centre stage in business, with many trading between Tanzania and China and Tanzania and Hong Kong. Tanzania and China have enjoyed positive development partnership for the past 51 years after President Julius Nyerere visited the far-eastern country in 1965.