“I hope you (South African students) can experience Chinese civilization for yourself and become envoys of China-South Africa friendship and builders of China-South Africa and China-Africa communities of destiny. Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong said as he addressed the “South African Chinese Language Day” celebration online on September 17, 2021. Angie Motshekga, Minister of the Department of Basic Education of South Africa, also sent her congratulations on the celebration of this year. “I hope that many South African learners will learn the Chinese language and become envoys of the South Africa-China friendship and also provide opportunities to make their dreams come true.” Professor Cheng Yongbo, president of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, addressed the celebration with sincere hope that through a joint effort, “Chinese Language Day in South Africa” can become a well-known brand for the promotion of Chinese language and culture. as the strengthening of Sino-African friendship. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration of the event, titled “South African Chinese Language Teaching Achievement Exhibition”, is organized online by the Chinese Embassy and hosted by the class Confucius from the Chinese Culture and International Education Clearinghouse, South Africa. The celebration consists of seven parts, including Chinese educational promotion education services, cultural activities, innovation projects, media advertising, local recognition, trade promotion and localization of services. . The courses include official training courses for officials of various offices of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Bachelor and Masters courses or elective courses for South African students, elective courses or l ‘private education, extramural classes for primary and secondary school students in South Africa, compulsory Chinese and vocational skills courses for South African TVET colleges and local training courses for teachers in South Africa South. Chinese teachers include not only teachers and volunteers from Chinese public schools, but also local teachers, overseas volunteers and overseas Chinese teachers in South Africa. The teaching mode includes a combination of online and offline teaching, and the teaching content includes both daily Chinese language content and essential elements of Chinese culture (such as calligraphy, martial arts etc.), as well as personalized Chinese training in different industries, such as tour guides, hotel and catering, traditional Chinese medicine, banking, transportation, mechanical and electrical engineering, etc. Chinese language teaching in South Africa not only focuses on the culture of campus students, but also helps officials in national departments learn Chinese through regular training in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, with officials from the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Trade and Industry learning about China through pre-trip training and South African tour guides learning Chinese through the ministry’s tour guide training sessions tourism. Chinese language educational institutions in South Africa also ensure to combine teaching and research, as well as establish institutions in political, economic, cultural and professional fields in China and South Africa to promote exchanges. academics between Chinese and South African universities. To conclude the celebration, Li Xudong, educational advisor of the Chinese Embassy, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese language educators. He said they have earned respect, friendship and bright prospects for continued development in South Africa through their own hard work and selfless dedication. “As the number of Chinese learners in South Africa grows, with more than 10,000 students enrolled in various programs,” Ambassador Chen said, the embassy stands ready to further help South African friends learn Chinese and Chinese teachers here to continue doing their jobs. . In August 2019, China and South Africa agreed to set September 17 for each calendar year as “South African Chinese Language Day.” The establishment of “South African Chinese Language Day” is an important step in promoting Chinese language and culture in South Africa. Chinese language education is now part of South Africa’s national education system. .
