Rural South Africans flock to Chinese classes
Summary
TLDRThe 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
- π Mandarin is being taught at the University of Venda, one of the hundreds of Confucius Institutes worldwide.
- π 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.
- π The Confucius Institute at the University of Venda combines Chinese language teaching with green technology, focusing on engineering and solar energy.
- π± Students are encouraged to learn Chinese fluently to enable further study in China and gain more knowledge about green technology.
- π€ The University of Venda has partnered with a Chinese university, with the Chinese government making significant contributions to the initiative.
- π‘ 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.
- ποΈ 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.
- π« US universities have been pressured by the government to close Confucius Institutes, with potential loss of federal funding being a factor.
- πͺπΊ Some European countries have also shut down Confucius Institutes due to similar concerns about academic integrity and political interference.
- π South African universities, however, are not worried and believe students will form their own independent thoughts on politics and global affairs.
- π 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
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘South African students
π‘Mandarin
π‘Confucius Institutes
π‘University of Venda
π‘Green Technology
π‘Hu University of Technology
π‘Strategic influence
π‘Academic freedom
π‘Self-censorship
π‘International relations
π‘Job market
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
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