ChineseatHome.com

Overseas students studying Chinese language and culture to teach back in their respective countries were lauded Tuesday at the Award Ceremony for Recipients of the Chinese Language Teaching Scholarship for Foreigners at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Liu Yandong, State Councilor of China and Yuan Guiren, Minister of Education addressed the ceremony. Deputy education minister Hao Ping hosted the event, while ambassadors and diplomats from 25 countries attended.

Since the Scholarship for Oversea Chinese Teachers was launched in June 2009, students from more than 50 countries have applied for the scholarship, and 1,021 were accepted and will study in China for Masters’ degree in International Chinese Language Education.

The two-year education program is specifically designed for overseas students, aimed to help them develop their Chinese teaching proficiency and understanding of Chinese culture.

The project’s duration is from 2009 to 2013, and is carried out by the headquarters of Confucius Institutes, offering scholarships to 1,000 foreigners each year who meet the requirements and are willing to devote five years teaching Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL).