Chinese Language on the Rise in Pakistani Schools and Colleges
College students are interested in learning the language as they wish to explore further studies and/or employment opportunities in China. The formation of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has made many institutes realize the importance of teaching the language to the local public.
Roots International School, Islamabad has set up a department, Roots Chinese Languages Department (RCLD,) to promote cultural diversity. The department has a club where students explore the Chinese language, culture and perform arts while occasions like the Chinese New Year are also celebrated by the school. The language is complicated and therefore the school uses activities like games, movies and mobile applications to help students get a grasp on the language. Students and parents have responded well to this initiative according to Humaira Shaheen, the Foreign Languages Program Head at Roots International. The language is also offered at the Metropolitan International University College (MIUC) which comes under Roots.
The NED University of Engineering and Technology added the Chinese language as a compulsory course for its first-year students from 2017 as it wishes to become, “a leader in enabling Pakistan’s social and economic transformation“.
The National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad, known for its language studies, reported that it had 13 students enrolled in the Chinese language department when it started the program in 1970. By 2017 about 460 students enrolled for the program. Hence the Chinese government aided in the expansion of the Confucius Institute at NUML in 2015 as it witnessed an increase in the demand for the language. According to Zhang Daojian, a lecturer at NUML the center will “contribute towards cementing Pak-China relations,” Cultural events are held here while two Chinese Language stations were launched by the department. These are broadcasted in Islamabad (FM 104.6) and Lahore (FM 95).
Here are some institutes in Pakistan that are teaching the Chinese language:
Nihao Salam
( Learn Chinese in English or Urdu)
Knowing the Chinese language means more job prospects for Pakistani students in both Pakistan and China. Many students believe that this will be beneficial if they wish to start a career in the export and import business. Institutes like NUML have seen this is as a teaching opportunity and therefore offer courses such as “Business Chinese” language.
Students take Chinese classes to appear in a test called HSK which is administered by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing, China. For students who pass the test can apply for scholarships in China. Confucius institutes (non-profit public educational organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China) are also opening up all over Pakistan:
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Islamabad
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Faisalabad
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Lahore
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Karachi
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