“Since the inception of CI-AUF in 2010, the people- to-people exchanges are further bolstered by its cultural and educational diplomacy initiatives on behalf of the Chinese nation. CI-AUF restores China’s traditional link with the citizens of the Philippines,” said Dr. Lourdes Nepomuceno, director of the CI-AUF.
Nepomucano said “CI-AUF shared global vision for international educational and cultural exchange and the people- to-people diplomacy thatis manifested in the programs implemented through the never- ending support of Confucius Institute headquarters or Hanban.”
“For five years now, CIAUF has set up an excellent reputation for offering quality Chinese language teaching and learning. Due to the growing prominence of the People’s Republic of China in the economic sphere, CI-AUF provides thousands of Filipinos from all walks of life, an easy access to Chinese Mandarin language instruction,” she stressed.
She noted that CI-AUF has continued to be recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd) “to promote global goodwill through education.”
“As a partner of DepEd in implementing Special Program in Foreign Languages (SPFL-Mandarin), CI-AUF takes hold of the unprecedented opportunities to address the ever-increasing demand for teaching and learning Chinese language in the Philippine mainstream society. The programs of CI-AUF, such as: inclusion of Chinese language in the K-12 curriculum, training of local teachers, localization of Chinese language teaching materials, promote the impact, influence and future directions of the SPFL program of DepEd,” she noted.
In 2014, CI-AUF set 92 teaching sites all over the Philippines, offering various kinds of courses, including Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Chinese Language Teaching and English (BSED: CLT-English); Chinese as an Elective Course for Undergraduates; Training for Philippine local Chinese Mandarin teachers; Happy Chinese Course for primary and secondary Students; Chinese Martial Arts for secondary students and adults; Practical Spoken Chinese; Business Mandarin Course; and Special Training Course for HSK.
“A total of 22,740 students in 814 classes are taking Chinese Language as credit courses Series of Mandarin courses and Chinese culture organized for officials from key government agencies, seem effective and well-received,” Nepomuceno said.
Nepomuceno recalled that in 2014, CI-AUF held a total of 27 Chinese cultural activities.
“More than 20,000 people had experienced the true essence of Chinese culture, including the activities celebrating the Spring Festival. The teaching sites under the CI-AUF also organized 54-themed activities on campus, as well as Chinese Culture Week, Chinese Culture Day. Approximately 40,000 teachers and students participated in these activities,” she added.
