High school students to benefit from Confucius classrooms

A Confucius classroom to promote Chinese language and culture will open at Innisfail’s Good Counsel College on Friday (20 February) thanks to a University of Queensland initiative.

The classroom – the second of five to be opened across Queensland by UQ’s Confucius Institute – will provide students with opportunities to study Mandarin and learn about Chinese history, culture and traditions.

UQ Confucius Institute Director Professor Ping Chen said the Institute had developed strong relationships with Queensland schools since the Institute’s establishment in 2009.

“We hope these Confucius classrooms will strengthen the interest in language learning in Queensland and complement the recent recognition of the results of the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) towards the Queensland Certificate of Education,” Professor Chen said.

UQ Confucius Institute’s first Confucius classroom was established at Brisbane’s Lourdes Hill College in late 2014.

The opening of classrooms at St Andrew’s College in Cairns and Indooroopilly High School in Brisbane are planned for the first half of 2015, with the fifth classroom yet to be announced.

Students will have access to Mandarin learning resources and cultural programs, and teachers will also benefit from training and development opportunities.  

“The classrooms will not only enhance opportunities for students, but also for school teachers and administrators in a time where an understanding of Chinese language and culture is receiving greater emphasis,” Professor Chen said.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Sheep, the Good Counsel College Classroom opening will coincide with interactive Tai Chi performances and calligraphy activities arranged at the school by the UQ Confucius Institute.

(Source: The University of Queensland)