Kenyatta University launches Chinese diploma

Confucius Institute becomes second in East Africa to offer program in language and culture

Kenyatta University Confucius Institute this month became the second college in Kenya to offer a diploma in Chinese language and culture.

The move comes after the University of Nairobi Confucius Institute introduced such a course, making it the first in East Africa.

According to Kamau Wango, a director at Kenyatta University Confucius Institute, the first diploma class will start at the end of this month, with the institute already receiving a raft of applications for the program.

He says also that a group of 20 students from the college will this month visit Shandong Normal University and Hanban, also known as Confucius Institute Headquarters, both in eastern China. It will be the first trip of its kind organized by Hanban.

"The launch of the diploma in Chinese language and culture shows the Confucius Institute has been growing impressively over the years," adds Leonard Kisovi, chairman of the Kenyatta University Confucius Institute board.

"We should attribute this growth to its former director, Martin Njoroge, who together with others crafted our strategic plan. The current directors should also take credit for implementing the plan."

East Africa has seen a surge in demand for Chinese-language learning in recent years, as evidenced by the increasing number of Confucius institutes across Africa since 2005, when the first opened in Nairobi.

Today, there are 39 across the continent teaching subjects including Mandarin, culture, textiles and agriculture.

The growing number of institutes can be attributed to the fact there are more people-to-people exchanges between China and African nations, a trend facilitated by China becoming the continent's largest trading partner. In addition, Hanban has played a vital role in fostering partnerships between universities in China and Africa.

The institutes are similar to those operated by France's Alliance Francaise - both are nonprofit organizations meant to create platforms for Africans to experience culture through language. The difference is that Confucius institutes are attached to local colleges, where they establish independent departments.

This year, the University of Dar es Salaam Confucius Institute in Tanzania announced plans to introduce diploma courses in Chinese-language training for teachers. The move is aimed at meeting the growing demand for such teachers.

Makerere University in Uganda, one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges in Africa, already offers diplomas and degrees in Chinese language and culture at its Confucius Institute.

Chen Mingkun, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University who also works with Hanban, is part of a team of experts now collecting feedback on the impact of Confucius institutes in Africa.

"We want to find out the barriers, challenges and achievements," he says. "My team will be meeting staff members in African countries as we conduct this research."

Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher, was born in a town known as Tsu, which now forms part of Shandong. He died more than 2,500 years ago.

The first Confucius institute was opened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in June 2004 and was followed six months later by another in Seoul, South Korea.

In Africa, the first Confucius institute was set up at the University of Nairobi, in partnership with Tianjin Normal University.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/23/2016 page3)