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From thebahamasweekly.com - Local
Nassau, Bahamas -The College of The Bahamas hosted a Chinese delegation from its sister institution the Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST), which partnered with The College in its bid to obtain a Confucius Classroom. The Confucius Institute is a non-profit organization under the Chinese Ministry of Education for the dissemination of Chinese language and culture. The Confucius Classroom is designed to be an intermediate phase before the establishment of a full-fledged Confucius Institute. "As an institution of higher learning, The College of The Bahamas fosters a tradition of excellence through education, research and innovation and service. It is through these partnerships, that we are able to expose our students, faculty, staff and the community to new languages, arts and culture. The Confucius Classroom is a great beginning as we move towards having a full-fledged Confucius Institute in years to come," said Executive Vice President, Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson on behalf of College President Ms. Janyne M. Hodder. President Li Lianshui of NUIST was accompanied by Professor Wang Suchun, the Dean of the School of International Education and Professor Li Zhongming, the Dean of the School of Language and Culture. After an official unveiling ceremony attended by Chinese Ambassador Hu Dingxian and representatives of various government departments and members of The College administration, the Implementation Agreement for the Confucius Classroom was signed. President Li and Dr. Chipman-Johnson signed for their respective institutions. The International Languages and Cultures Institute at The College of The Bahamas headed by Dr. Chipman-Johnson and under the directorship of Dr. Irene Moss, has been offering a Mandarin program for two years. Dr. Moss has also been named the Director of the newly established Confucius Classroom. It is estimated that 30 million people worldwide are learning to speak Chinese. The establishment of the Confucius Classroom strengthens The College's mission to drive national development through research, education, innovation and service. In years to come The College will join the ranks of the University of Havana in Cuba and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica both with established Confucius Institutes. In a continuing spirit of collaboration and friendship, Dr. Chipman-Johnson and Dr. Moss have been invited to participate in the Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing this December, which will host representatives from 400 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms worldwide. The College of The Bahamas, in its philosophy of outreach to the wider community, is pleased to be able to offer Bahamians this opportunity to learn more about Chinese language and culture. © Copyright 2009 by thebahamasweekly.com - |
