MORE pupils will be given the chance to live and study in China for a year thanks to a £754,000 investment by the Scottish Government.
The funding for the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools Scholarship Programme (CISS) was announced as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met some of the current scholars in Beijing on the first day of her visit to China.
A further £700,000 has been allocated to Scotland’s National Centre for Languages at Strathclyde University, where CISS is co-located. This funding builds on that awarded in previous years.
Applications for the study programme are open to sixth-year pupils in Confucius Classroom Hubs around Scotland. So far 70 Scottish students have been awarded scholarships.
The First Minister said: “Scotland and China have long-standing links which we want to strengthen and one of the most important ways in which we can do that is through education. The work of the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools has helped to engage more of our young people in learning about the culture, history and language of China, through the growing network of Confucius Classrooms. It was fascinating to meet some of the current Confucius scholars – including two pupils from my former school – and hear about their experiences in China.”
CISS and the Tianjin Education Commission have developed the scholarship programme which provides places for a number of Scottish students to study and live in China for one year. In 2017 and 2018 there were 22 places and it is hoped to extend the programme further for 2019.
There are now 22 CISS classroom “hubs” in secondary schools across Scotland aimed at stimulating the learning and teaching of Chinese language and culture. A number of primary schools are also now involved.
Four specialist hubs at the Scottish Schools Football Association, the Royal Conservatoire, Scottish Opera and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (Edinburgh Zoo) are being launched this year. The hubs will do outreach work with schools to blend learning about Chinese culture and language through their area of expertise. The hub at Edinburgh Zoo is the first specialist Science Confucius Classroom Hub in the world.
However campaign group Free Tibet has led calls for a rethink of Scotland’s Confusius Institutes saying educational authorities should be cautious about influence from China given its human rights track record.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel