On the afternoon of March 1st, the opening ceremony of the Chinese teaching center new semester and the unveiling ceremony of the Confucius Institute Cooperative Teaching Center, co-established by KUST and Souphanouvong University in Laos,were held in the Northern Agriculture and Forestry College (NAFC) operating under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. President of the Souphanouvong University Vixay Chansavang, directors of Confucius Institute of China and Laos, Executive Principal of the NAFC, and more than 50 representatives of teachers and students attended the ceremony.

The Executive Principal of the NAFC introducedthat the college attaches great importance to theconnection andcooperation with Chinese counterparts and Confucius Institutes.Every year, the college selected outstanding students to China for exchange and study.Since July 2020, the Chinese program has been offered in cooperation with the Confucius Institute, and teachers and teachingfacilities for Chinese language learning has been provided forthe students and teachers. Studentshave been passionate about learning Chinese, have achieved remarkable results, and have strong desires to keep learning Chinese. Most of them can have simple daily conversations in Chinese. In order to consolidate and promote the long-term development of Chinese teaching in the school, NAFC included this Chinese program in the school syllabus, which had been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos. From October this year, the Chinese program has been officially included in the school credit system.

As the head of the Confucius Institute said, students’ assiduous spirit and enthusiasm for Chinese learning are veryimpressive. He hoped that students could continue to study Chinese with earnestness and become the envoy of cultural exchange between China and Laos to contribute to the long-term development of the friendship between the two countries if they have the opportunity to study further in China in the future. In the speech of the President of Souphanouvong University, looking at the current world situation, he expounded on the importance and necessity of language learning, especially Chinese learning. He also encouraged students to learn Chinese well, broaden their horizons, learn advanced Chinese culture and technology, and become useful young talents for the country and the society.

The Chinese program will officially start in the new semester after the ceremony.

Translated by: CAI Siqing, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Cultures

Edited by: ZHANG Wei, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Cultures (English)

Source: School of International Education

Issued by: Division of Overseas Cooperation (English)

Edited by: KUST News Center (Chinese)