In a clear sign of China’s growing economic and political clout, a British school has become the first in the country to make Mandarin Chinese a compulsory subject for all pupils.
Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, in the town of the same name on England’s south coast, announced on Monday that the subject would become part of the private, fee-paying school’s core curriculum from September.
All 1 200 pupils at the school will learn Chinese along with French, Spanish and Latin.
”One of my key tasks is to make sure that the pupils at Brighton College are equipped for the realities of the 21st century, and one of those realities is that China has the fastest growing economy in the world,” Cairns said.
”This year China replaced Britain as the world’s fourth largest economy. We in Britain need to face up to this challenge, see it for the trading opportunity that it is, and ensure that our nation’s children are well-placed to thrive in this new global reality.
”A better understanding of the language and culture of China will be hugely to the advantage of the children of Brighton College.”
The school has ”a dozen or so” native Chinese speakers among its pupils, the headmaster said, adding that he hoped they could help their fellows with the ”rather challenging experience”. – AFP
