Rural South Africans flock to Chinese classes

Summary

The University of Venda in South Africa introduces a unique Confucius Institute that combines Mandarin language teaching with green technology education. This initiative, supported by the Chinese government and Hu University of Technology, aims to address South Africa's energy crisis and build capacity in sustainable solutions. Despite concerns about academic freedom in Western countries, South African universities encourage independent thought and see the value in exposing students to different cultures and skills, potentially boosting their job prospects in a competitive market.

Takeaways

• 📚 Mandarin is being taught at the University of Venda, one of the hundreds of Confucius Institutes worldwide.
• 🌏 The University of Venda is located in a remote rural area of South Africa, different from other institutes in urban areas like Johannesburg and Cape Town.
• 🔍 The Confucius Institute at the University of Venda combines Chinese language teaching with green technology, focusing on engineering and solar energy.
• 🌱 Students are encouraged to learn Chinese fluently to enable further study in China and gain more knowledge about green technology.
• 🤝 The University of Venda has partnered with a Chinese university, with the Chinese government making significant contributions to the initiative.
• 💡 Confucius Institutes are seen as a way for China to build strategic influence in host countries, aligning with their strategic priorities such as the energy crisis in South Africa.
• 🏛️ In contrast to their role in Africa, Confucius Institutes in Western countries have faced criticism and have been closed due to concerns over academic freedom and political influence.
• 🚫 US universities have been pressured by the government to close Confucius Institutes, with potential loss of federal funding being a factor.
• 🇪🇺 Some European countries have also shut down Confucius Institutes due to similar concerns about academic integrity and political interference.
• 💭 South African universities, however, are not worried and believe students will form their own independent thoughts on politics and global affairs.
• 📈 With high unemployment in South Africa, students hope that learning Chinese will give them an advantage in the job market, especially since Chinese is one of the UN languages and South Africa's biggest trading partner is China.

Q & A

What new skill are South African students learning at the University of Venda?

South African students at the University of Venda are learning Mandarin, which is taught through the Confucius Institute.

How many Confucius Institutes are there worldwide, and how many are in Africa?

There are hundreds of Confucius Institutes worldwide, with approximately 60 of them located in Africa.

What makes the Confucius Institute at the University of Venda different from others?

The Confucius Institute at the University of Venda is unique because it combines Chinese language teaching with Green Technology, focusing on engineering and solar energy.

What is the purpose of combining Chinese language learning with Green Technology at the University of Venda?

The combination aims to prepare students to go to China for further study and gain more knowledge about green technology, which aligns with South Africa's strategic priorities.

Which Chinese university partnered with the University of Venda to set up the Confucius Institute?

The University of Venda partnered with Hu University of Technology in China to establish the Confucius Institute.

How does the Chinese government contribute to the Confucius Institute initiative at the University of Venda?

The Chinese government is contributing significantly to the initiative, as mentioned by the University of Venda's Tabo Deal.

What is the role of Confucius Institutes in China's strategic influence according to China analyst Paul Nila?

Confucius Institutes blend with the strategic priorities of the host countries, offering more than just language training and building capacity in areas like green technology.

Why have many Western countries, including the US, closed Confucius Institutes?

Many Western countries have closed Confucius Institutes due to concerns about potential interference with academic freedoms and the promotion of Chinese propaganda.

What are the concerns regarding Confucius Institutes in Western countries?

Concerns include the institutes' potential to interfere with academic freedoms, faculty self-censorship on taboo Chinese political topics, and government pressure including the risk of losing federal funding.

How do South African universities view the concerns about Confucius Institutes?

South African universities are not worried, believing that students will form their own independent thoughts on politics and global events, and make their own decisions.

What benefits do students hope to gain from learning Mandarin at the Confucius Institute?

Students hope that learning Mandarin will give them an advantage in the job market, especially considering high unemployment levels and China being South Africa's biggest trading partner.

How many students have enrolled in Mandarin classes at the Confucius Institute in Venda?

Approximately 300 students have already enrolled in the Mandarin classes at the Confucius Institute in Venda.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Mandarin Learning and Green Technology Integration

This paragraph discusses the unique approach of the Confucius Institute at the University of Venda in South Africa, which combines Mandarin language teaching with green technology education. The institute, one of many worldwide, focuses on teaching Chinese language skills and then integrates them with green technology, such as engineering and solar energy, to prepare students for further studies in China. The initiative is a partnership between the University of Venda and the Hu University of Technology in China, with significant financial support from the Chinese government. The goal is to align with South Africa's strategic priorities, particularly addressing the energy crisis through green technology solutions.

Keywords

💡South African students

The term 'South African students' refers to learners in South Africa who are the main subjects of the video. They are acquiring new skills, particularly in learning Mandarin Chinese. This is significant as it highlights the growing interest and importance of Chinese language and culture in South Africa, as well as the country's educational efforts to equip its youth with globally relevant skills.

💡Mandarin

Mandarin is the official language of China and Taiwan, and one of the most spoken languages in the world. In the context of the video, Mandarin is the language being taught at the University of Venda, emphasizing the global reach and influence of the Chinese language. The script mentions 'amazing Mandarin,' indicating the students' positive response to learning the language.

💡Confucius Institutes

Confucius Institutes are educational organizations established by China to promote Chinese language and culture abroad. The video discusses these institutes being set up worldwide, with a focus on the one at the University of Venda. They are part of China's soft power strategy and are seen as a way to build strategic influence in host countries, as mentioned by the China analyst Paul Nila.

💡University of Venda

The University of Venda is the specific institution in South Africa where the Confucius Institute is located and where Mandarin is being taught. It is situated in a rural area, which is somewhat unique compared to other institutes in urban areas like Johannesburg and Cape Town. The script highlights the university's partnership with a Chinese university and its focus on integrating Chinese language with green technology.

💡Green Technology

Green Technology in the video refers to environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies, such as solar power. The Confucius Institute at the University of Venda combines language teaching with green technology education, which is particularly relevant given South Africa's energy crisis. This integration aims to provide students with practical skills that align with the country's strategic priorities.

💡Hu University of Technology

Hu University of Technology is the Chinese partner of the University of Venda in establishing the Confucius Institute. The script mentions this partnership, indicating a collaborative effort between the two institutions to promote Chinese language learning and green technology education in South Africa.

💡Strategic influence

The term 'strategic influence' is used to describe how China is using Confucius Institutes to build its influence in other countries. The video script discusses this concept, suggesting that the institutes align with the strategic priorities of the host countries, such as South Africa's focus on green technology.

💡Academic freedom

Academic freedom is the concept of the liberty of members of the academic community to set their own research agendas and to express their findings and ideas without fear of censorship or retaliation. The script mentions concerns about Confucius Institutes interfering with academic freedom, particularly in Western countries, where some universities have closed their institutes due to government pressure.

💡Self-censorship

Self-censorship refers to the act of editing or suppressing one's own speech or writing due to fear of potential repercussions. In the context of the video, there are concerns that faculty members at Confucius Institutes might engage in self-censorship, avoiding topics related to Chinese politics that could be sensitive.

💡International relations

International relations is the study of the relationships between countries, including diplomacy, trade, and cultural exchange. A student in the video mentions studying international relations and the importance of Mandarin as one of the UN languages, indicating the relevance of language skills in the field of international diplomacy and global affairs.

💡Job market

The 'job market' refers to the arena in which employers and potential employees interact to fill and seek jobs. The script discusses how learning Mandarin can give South African students an advantage in the job market, especially considering the high unemployment levels in the country and China being South Africa's biggest trading partner.

Highlights

South African students are learning Mandarin at the University of Venda.

The University of Venda hosts one of hundreds of Confucius Institutes set up by China worldwide.

There are around 60 Confucius Institutes in Africa.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Venda focuses on combining Chinese language teaching with green technology.

Students can learn Chinese language and engineering or solar technology.

The Institute aims to enable students to study further in China and gain knowledge about green technology.

The University of Venda partnered with a Chinese university for the establishment of the Confucius Institute.

The Chinese government is significantly contributing to the initiative.

Confucius Institutes are seen as a way for China to build strategic influence in host countries.

The Institute in Venda is tailored to South Africa's strategic priorities, including the energy crisis and green technology.

Many Western countries have closed Confucius Institutes due to concerns over academic freedom and political interference.

South African universities are not concerned about these issues and trust students to form their own political opinions.

China is South Africa's biggest trading partner.

Students hope that Mandarin skills will give them an advantage in the job market.

International relations students find Mandarin particularly valuable as it is one of the UN languages.

With high unemployment, students see language skills as a way to improve their job prospects.

Approximately 300 students have enrolled in Mandarin classes at the University of Venda.

Transcripts

okay yeah that's it

okay these South African students are

learning a new

skill in Chinese we say

uh which means learning Chinese is

amazing Mandarin is taught here at the

University of vender it's one of the

hundreds of confucious institutes set up

by China around the world World some 60

of which are in

Africa but this one which opened its

doors earlier this year is slightly

different from the institutes in

Johannesburg and Cape Town University of

Venda is in a far-flung rural area of

the country the great technology

confusers Institute they at first first

stamp we focus on the Chinese language

teaching and then we combin the Chinese

language with the Green Technology like

the engineer or some solar yes uh so

when they they can say some uh uh some

some Chinese words fluidly then they can

go to China to for a further study to

get gain more an knowy about the

technology or great technology to set up

the Institute the University of vendor

partnered with hu University of

Technology in China says University of

vendor's Tabo deal the Chinese

government is contributing um handsomely

to this initiative confuscious

institutes are one way China builds

strategic influence in a country says

China analyst Paul Nila these confucious

institutes um blend blend very much with

the Strategic priorities of the host

countries so they're doing much more

than just language training um so inv

Venda as we mentioned you know South

Africa is in an energy crisis and

therefore it's trying to provide a

solution uh which is Green Technology to

see how that might be developed and to

build that capacity uh which is one of

the Strategic priorities of the South

African government but in many Western

countries confucious institutes are seen

as propaganda machines in recent years

most us universities have closed their

confucious institutes due to government

pressure including potential loss of

federal funding some European countries

have also shut down confucious

institutes concerns include institutes

interfering with academic freedoms and

even faculty self-censorship of taboo

Chinese political topics but South

African universities are not worried the

says the students will decide for

themselves they will have their own

independent thought around politics and

what's happening you know globally what

we are trying to do is expose them to

different worlds for them to make their

own decisions around what's right what's

sound politically or otherwise China is

South Africa's biggest trading partner

and students hope Chinese language

skills will give them an edge when it

comes to the job market I'm studying

International relation and Chinese is

one of the UN languages so it's it's

really um Wanted update so with high

unemployment levels in the country many

of these students share his belief some

300 students have already enrolled in

the Mandarin

classes Kate Bulet VA news tondo Limpopo

Province South Africa yeah you are four

months you