ballabriggs: There are indeed loads of dolts in Nigeria who give themselves headache over non-issues.

The Chinese and Japanese are learning English today. Why? Because it gives them an advantage in trade. Nigeria today is a big trading partner with China, why should we not make our children learn their language? Is it not for our own advantage? Come to England today and see young people from Asia learning English and studying models to take back to their country.

The World is moving, you all keep living with this cave-man mentality.

ayox2003:

Because they need to spread their tentacles. You cant be a world leader in isolation. You'd have to gain grounds all around poco a poco.
Why do you think they donated $20bn to Africa?
Coupled with the fact that we are rich in natural resources.



Frawzey

ayox2003:
why should they learn our language when we dont have the:
1) Population
2) Productivity
3) Technology
4) R & D (Research and development)
5) Business climate
6) Political stability
7) Diversified economy
Tourist attraction
9) Employment opportunities and so on that matches world standards.

Lets be frank with ourselves, we have a long way to go. We aint even among the BRICS yet.

Frawzey.

pdone:

Forget that. Haven't you heard about the phrase "Country's Interest". If you believe that China donates $20bn to Africa just like without any hidden agenda, then you must be living in planet Mars. My guy everything is business and politics as usual. It is just like campaign, a politician will spend extravagantly in order to win an election knowing fully well that once he win, he will recover the money in one way or the other.

Are you kidding me? Tell me you are joking. Nigeria still remain the China top customers from Africa. You don't need to have the technology before your country is consider economy opportunity by another country. Check the history of United Arab Emirate and its development.

linearity: This is a brilliant idea and shows that Lagos State is preparing for next generation....

Those calling this foolish, stupid or saying why not one of our local language and not looking at the big picture....

Chinese is the world most spoken language and doubles the penetration of English language worldwide....in order for Nigeria to compete in the emerging global economy, we have come out of our shells and start learning what is out there.

China's technological advancement is very rapid and growing, many research texts are written in Chinese, we need our future leaders and smart mind to be able to compete in this global space and bring home the goods.

We are not selling out our culture and heritage by doing this...there is no place like home and a Nigerian will always remain a Nigerian no matter what...

Fashola, I bgem cari go! no mind detractors....

mukina2:
... Jiang said the institute, as a representative of the Chinese culture in Nigeria, was set up to satisfy people's need about the country’s culture...
``The Institute is prepared to provide Chinese instructors to teach the language and culture in the state's public schools as soon as the Memorandum of Understanding is signed between the state and the institute...``The knowledge of Chinese language will help students to further their studies in China and carry out research in various fields of human endeavour as China has become a success story in the world economy,`` the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Jiang as saying in the statement.

dasparrow:

@Bolded[/b]

One thing I noticed about most Nigerians even when I used to live back home is their inferiority complex. How can you tell me that learning chinese (mandarin) will improve a student's IQ and learning capability? If that were the case, why haven't advanced nations like USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany et al introduced mandarin as a compulsory foreign language to learn in their public school curriculum? Are these advanced countries not aware that China is looking forward to being the next world power?

The problem with Nigeria is that we copy aimlessly. Very soon, Nigerians will start giving their children chinese names too. I have never seen a group of people who are so ashamed of being whom God created them to be like Nigerians. This is the same reason you will see Nigerians (in Nigeria) who have never lived in USA or UK for an extended period of time trying to force british or american accent out of their mouths.

Are we daft as a people or what? Why do we hate everything about ourselves so much? So because china is investing in Nigeria and in other African nations, we Nigerians must sell our souls to them? I am still wondering how I came from a country like Nigeria because I dispise people who suffer from inferiority complex with a passion. I need to go and take some DNA test. Maybe I am not from Nigeria sef because I just don't understand the way the average Nigerian behaves or reasons.

stjudas: Hmmm..... I must say one tin why i lov the chinese; they are modest.They are never like the racist ...

muffins99:

Who isn't racist- chinese? Just because they are not as obvious/ vocal about it. How many Africans hold top positions in Chinese government, businesses and academia? Even in Chinese companies operating in Nigeria, how many Nigerians hold top positions there? I don't want to start a debate- just watch out for the green snake in the green grass- don't be deceived, the chinese will always put their country's interest first.

pdone:

Forget that. Haven't you heard about the phrase "Country's Interest". If you believe that China donates $20bn to Africa just like without any hidden agenda, then you must be living in planet Mars. My guy everything is business and politics as usual. It is just like campaign, a politician will spend extravagantly in order to win an election knowing fully well that once he win, he will recover the money in one way or the other.

Are you kidding me? Tell me you are joking. Nigeria still remain the China top customers from Africa. You don't need to have the technology before your country is consider economy opportunity by another country. Check the history of United Arab Emirate and its development.

Chinese is the language to learn
By Melissa Jackson
BBC News education reporter


Linking up with Chinese schools is proving successful
Cantonese and Mandarin are the languages children should be learning at school if we are to capitalise on the future business potential of China, say experts.

China has the world's fastest growing economy and is rapidly becoming an influential player in global business and industry.

With the government announcing another £115m for foreign language teaching in England's schools, now is a good time to focus on how best to spend it.

Some schools are already ahead of the game - offering lessons in these key languages, which could help the next generation of business leaders conquer this rich and influential market.

Lauriston primary school in Hackney is taking the initiative with a 10-week Mandarin language project for 10 and 11-year-olds pupils in year 6.


China's economy is growing so quickly and becoming so influential in the world economy that people can't afford to ignore it
Mary Hennock, BBC business reporter
They have one lesson a week in Chinese and have already mastered the basics, like "hello" and "how are you".

They have also linked up with a school in Shen Yang, north-east China, to learn about their culture and their way of life.

Lauriston primary teacher Aidan O'Kelly helped organise the project after visiting several schools in China last May.

He said: "I came back thinking 'this is going to be a powerful economy'.

"The China project came out of Hackney's drive to promote links between our schools and those in China and to promote the Chinese language."

The group of 31 children from year 6 has been split into two smaller groups and a Chinese teacher come in every Friday to give them lessons in Mandarin - the language of northern China.

Mr O'Kelly said: "The first group project was a resounding success - the children were really enthusiastic and positive."

The children have also made short videos about themselves and their local community and have sent them off to their link school in China and hope to receive something similar in return.

More twinning

In another project, 40 London primary schools have formed a programme of exchange with schools in Beijing.

They link up via computer, courtesy of internet broadband provider the London Grid for Learning (LGfL).

During the links, Chinese pupils communicate with British pupils with the help of English-speaking teachers although many of the students in Beijing are already learning English and are fairly competent in the language.

LGfL content manager David Mason said: "The emphasis is on computers for the sake of learning.

"You get a class in London working with one in Beijing on the same topic - maybe in geography, maths, art or dance.

"The emphasis is on getting children working with each other on a common theme."

Last month, Chancellor Gordon Brown visited China and announced that he expects British exports to the country to quadruple by the end of the decade.

He made it clear in a speech he delivered during that trip that he wants every school, college and university to be twinned with an equivalent in China within the next five years.

The buoyant Chinese market is one that Britain needs to conquer and mastering the language is fundamental to this process.

BBC business reporter Mary Hennock said: "China's economy is growing so quickly and becoming so influential in the world economy that people can't afford to ignore it.

"British universities are educating thousands of engineering students from China and British companies are going to be competing with students educated in Britain, speaking fluent English and Chinese - these are going to be the executives of the future.

"People who want to be ahead in whatever industry need to think about China and learning Chinese."

Chinese Language Courses & Activities
SOAS Language Centre in London provides weekday daytime, evening and Saturday language tuition in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, for mother-tongue and non-mother-tongue speakers. We can also offer courses in a number of other major Chinese dialects.

SOAS Language Centre operates the largest non-degree Chinese language programme in the UK. It runs over 120 scheduled courses a year, including both full time and part time courses. In addition, we offer individual tuition or small group tuition tailor-made according to the needs of the clients, be they from the business community, government departments or other institutions.

Each year there are about 1400 registrations on its various Chinese language courses, and SOAS Language Centre has a team of nearly 30 teachers, all of whom are native speakers of Chinese.

Our teacher training programme offers a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages.

HSK tests take place twice yearly at SOAS here in central London, managed by our colleagues at SOAS' London Confucius Institute.

Interested in undergraduate and postgraduate study in Chinese? Our colleagues in the Department of the Languages & Cultures of China & Inner Asia can help you with that.

Mandarin teaching in schools to benefit from new UK-China partnership
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Date: 10 November 2010
Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced a pioneering new partnership with China to train 1000 more Mandarin teachers for secondary schools in England.

During a visit to China to build stronger education partnerships with the Chinese,
Mr Gove launched the joint programme between the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and Hanban (the Confucius Institute Headquarters). It is to run over the next five years.

Mandarin is an increasingly popular subject choice for young people at GCSE but in England there are currently only around 100 qualified Mandarin teachers, and only 16 per cent of secondary schools offered Chinese language teaching in 2009.

This new partnership will increase the quality and quantity of Mandarin teaching in schools and allow more young people than ever before the chance to study this important language. Increasing the number of Mandarin speakers will help equip Britain’s future workforce with the skills we need to compete in a globalised economy.

Speaking from Beijing, Michael Gove said:

I am delighted to be building a stronger education partnership with the Chinese. There is a lot our countries can learn from each other and we want to work together to deliver world-class standards in schools through the greater sharing of knowledge and experience.

This is not just about fostering a better understanding of China among our young people. Offering every young person the chance to learn Mandarin will help to encourage mobility between the two countries, equip the next generation with the skills they need to succeed, and ensure the long-term success of our economy and society.

Elizabeth Reid, Chief Executive at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, said:

China is at the centre of the global economy and the next generation will need to understand its culture and be able to work in its language – which is why we are delighted to be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Hanban to train 1000 teachers of Mandarin Chinese over the next five years to meet the growing demand in England.

This new five-year programme will be co-financed by the two organisations and will begin in July 2011. The programme is aimed at dealing with the immediate shortage of Mandarin teachers and enabling schools to meet the rapidly rising demand for Mandarin teaching. In five years, the supply of qualified Mandarin teachers should have increased sufficiently to match demand, but the situation will be kept under review.