China News Agency, Manila, December 28. Question: How can Chinese language education build a bridge between the people of China and the Philippines?
——Interview with Pei Gang, Consultant of Department of Curriculum Development, Ministry of Education of the Philippines, and Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute at Red Creek University
China News Agency reporter Zhang Xinglong
In recent years, the enthusiasm for Chinese has quietly risen in the Philippines, and more and more young people are keen to learn Chinese.
What opportunities and challenges are currently facing Chinese language education in the Philippines?
What experience is worth summarizing?
What impact will it have on people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries?
Dr. Cavin F. Pamintuan, consultant of the Department of Curriculum Development of the Philippine Department of Education and foreign director of the Confucius Institute at Red Creek University, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East and West" to answer this question.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Agency: The Philippines is China’s friendly neighbor and an important cooperative partner in Southeast Asia. The traditional friendship between the two countries has a long history, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges are in the ascendant. There is a “Chinese craze” in the Philippines. What role does Chinese language education play in China-Philippines people-to-people and cultural exchanges?
Pei Gang:
Although the traditional friendship between the two countries has a long history, according to my observation, many Filipinos are not aware of the interconnection between the two countries and how their lives are influenced by Chinese culture.
So, whenever I start a Chinese class, I ask my students to come up with a Tagalog word that they think is derived from Chinese characters, and most students are fascinated by the fact that commonly used words have "Chinese ancestry".
My aim is to make them realize that the Filipino language has also been greatly influenced by Chinese.
In recent years, the demand for Chinese speakers in the Philippines has grown rapidly.
Chinese language education has become an important platform, providing Filipinos with a new perspective on China and the Chinese people.
It is worth mentioning that before the establishment of the Confucius Institute in the Philippines, only social elites could learn Chinese in specialized schools, and they only accounted for a small part of the entire country, and most of the rest did not understand the long-term friendship between the Philippines and China .
It is gratifying that in recent years, the friendly exchanges between the two countries have promoted the vigorous development of Chinese language education in the Philippines.
The firm support of the Chinese and Philippine governments has played an important role in the popularization of Chinese language education in the mainstream society of the Philippines.
In 2011, Chinese language education was included in the Philippine K-12 basic education plan.
At present, at least 12,000 public middle school students from 153 schools across the country are learning Chinese every year in the Philippines.
They are the "seeds" sown by China-Philippines friendship. After "germinating", they will further deepen the friendly relationship between the two peoples and eventually grow into envoys of China-Philippines friendship.
I am such an example myself.
In 2010, my professor Dr. Zhang Shifang planted my "seed".
Now, it's my turn to plant more "seeds" for the future.
Chinese education is an invisible bridge connecting the Philippines and the Chinese people, and this bridge is also an important factor for the successful advancement of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in the Philippines.
Only when people's hearts are connected, can roads be better connected, and roads can connect the world.
At the Spring Festival Gala for Chinese and Filipino youth, Filipino college students performed the traditional Filipino festival dance "Wine Glass Dance".
Photo by Guan Xiangdong
Reporter from China News Service: You are the first Ph.D. in Chinese language teaching trained by the Confucius Institute in the Philippines. You are currently serving as a consultant to the Department of Curriculum Development of the Philippine Ministry of Education. In your opinion, what experience is worth summarizing in the development of Chinese language education in the Philippines?
Pei Gang:
We can use an acronym "RECIPE" (knack) to summarize the experience of developing Chinese language education in the Philippines, specifically Relevance, Empowerment, Commitment, Inclusiveness, Practicality and Engagement.
Relevance - to ensure that the content of Chinese teaching is highly relevant to students' daily life.
It is necessary to combine the actual situation, get as close as possible to students' lives, develop contextualized teaching materials, and allow students to realize "immersive" learning.
Empowerment - Chinese education should ensure that it helps to improve the comprehensive strength of students.
It is necessary to pay attention to the positive changes that occur to students after learning Chinese and how this skill can help them gain greater advantages in the field of work.
Commitment - All parties involved in the development and implementation of Chinese language education must make a clear commitment to promote clear responsibilities.
For example, the Philippine Department of Education is committed to formulating relevant policies to ensure the smooth implementation of Chinese language education, and the Confucius Institute at Red Creek University is committed to providing relevant training and materials to ensure that qualified teachers teach Chinese in public middle schools.
The commitment of all parties is clear and they work towards a common goal.
Inclusiveness - Chinese education should be inclusive, providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of skin color, race, creed, or gender, so that more Filipinos have the opportunity to come into contact with Chinese language and culture.
Currently, Chinese language education in the Philippines is carried out in junior high schools, and will be extended to elementary schools, high schools, and even the Alternative Learning System (ALS) to help out-of-school youths and adult learners complete basic education in the future.
Filipino children learn to weave Chinese knots.
Photo by Fan Rong
Practical - should ensure that the knowledge students learn can be applied in the real world.
Therefore, when designing courses, it is necessary to consider whether Chinese education is conducive to the overall development of learners, especially intercultural communication skills.
Participation - the success of Chinese language education in the Philippines is the result of the cooperation of all parties involved.
Stakeholders should be actively involved before, during and after the implementation of Chinese language education to ensure continuous improvement of Chinese language education.
For example, the Confucius Institute at Red Creek University will cooperate with the Philippine Department of Education to hold annual forums and conferences to ensure that both parties have the same goals and understand each other's latest developments.
In the past ten years, Chinese language education has made many achievements in the Philippines.
Much work remains to be done in the future to ensure sustainable development.
All participants should continue to pay attention to the impact of Chinese language education on the Filipino people, and summarize new experiences while promoting its development.
"The 1st Philippine HSK Overseas Study and Employment Exhibition in 2018" was held at the Guangqi School in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Photo by Guan Xiangdong
China News Agency reporter: As an important participant in Chinese language education in the Philippines, what do you think of the opportunities and challenges that Chinese language education in the Philippines is currently facing?
Pei Gang:
The rapid development of China's economy provides opportunities for Chinese enterprises to enter the Philippine market.
Under the "Belt and Road" initiative, infrastructure projects such as bridges, dams, power plants, and railways have successively landed in the Philippines, greatly improving the quality of life of the Filipino people and creating thousands of job opportunities for local people.
In addition, cooperation in agriculture and tourism between the two countries is also in the ascendant.
These have increased the demand for Chinese language education in the Philippines.
Although Chinese language education has been institutionalized in public and private schools in the Philippines, it is still necessary to continuously optimize the content of Chinese language education through the "Chinese +" curriculum to ensure that the teaching content provided by the school is consistent with market demand and help students get better jobs Chance.
In order to meet the demand for Chinese in different fields in China, it is necessary to implement short-term and long-term "Chinese +" programs.
The short-term plan mainly refers to that Chinese companies in the Philippines provide short-term training programs for Filipino employees. Filipino employees can learn practical spoken Chinese for daily work communication. While improving employees' cross-cultural communication skills, further reduce corporate communication cost.
The long-term plan mainly refers to the relevant agencies considering the implementation of the plan to cultivate local talents in different fields through the following plans: first, incorporate Chinese into the high school curriculum to prepare students for work or higher education after graduating from high school; second, incorporate Chinese into Filipino technical education and Skills Development Agency (TESDA) training courses, so that people of different majors can learn the language and get better job opportunities after training; the third is to set up Chinese-related degree courses in colleges and universities, so that Chinese talents can be cultivated Specialization; the fourth is to establish the Confucius Institute Association in the Philippines, further integrate resources from all parties, and provide Filipinos with Chinese language education content that meets the requirements of the times.
The biggest challenge in developing Chinese language education in the Philippines is policy support.
As mentioned earlier, Chinese language education can not only promote people-to-people bonds between China and the Philippines, but also have a positive impact on the connectivity between the two countries.
Therefore, it is necessary for relevant agencies to formulate policies to support the implementation of the "Chinese +" project in the Philippines.
The Confucius Institute at Red Creek University of the Philippines held the "8th Symposium on Chinese Language Teaching in the Philippines".
Photo by Guan Xiangdong
China News Agency reporter: You won the important contribution award of the second "China-Philippines Mutual Understanding Award" in May this year. You are a friendly envoy to promote China-Philippines friendship and cooperation. How do you think China and the Philippines should "know each other better" in the future?
Pei Gang:
For economists, China is regarded as a trading partner.
But for someone who has lived in both countries, I see China as another home.
My own story, from a Chinese student to a Chinese teacher, from a listener of Chinese stories to a disseminator of Chinese stories, is a perfect example of ordinary people becoming promoters of China-Philippines friendship.
This year, when the two heads of state met in Bangkok, Thailand, they also emphasized that the two sides should intensify people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
In my opinion, a better understanding between China and the Philippines requires the following:
First of all, we must persevere in telling good stories about China, inspire more people to participate in cultural exchanges between the two countries, and let the Filipino people see how friendly bilateral relations can change their lives.
Secondly, publicize the achievements of the two countries in various fields of cooperation, including the field of education.
In the past few years, China has always maintained a modest attitude towards the great help given to the Philippines, and we have also witnessed how China supports the Philippines in fighting the epidemic.
At present, the cooperation between the two countries has achieved many results, and it is necessary to show these results to the mainstream society in the Philippines to consolidate public support for China-Philippines cooperation.
Thirdly, in addition to intergovernmental cooperation, grassroots cooperation and social participation should also be encouraged.
While a top-down approach is necessary to establish the legal basis for cooperation, a bottom-up approach is equally important because it generates social support.
In the past few years, in addition to the Ministry of Education, the Confucius Institute at Hongxi Reese University has also implemented Chinese language education programs in various government agencies and private companies for this purpose.
Finally, provide more exchange opportunities for Filipino youth, let them go to China, experience China's progress in all aspects, and further deepen their understanding of China and the Chinese people.
For those Filipino youths who want to learn Chinese in depth, Chinese language education is undoubtedly an important booster, which will help generate more "torch bearers" of China-Philippines friendship.
(use up)
Respondent profile:
Pei Gang, Consultant of the Department of Curriculum Development, Ministry of Education of the Philippines, Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute at Red Creek University, and winner of the Second "Sino-Philippines Comprehension Award" for Important Contributions.
Pei Gang is the first batch (2008) of undergraduates majoring in Chinese language teachers jointly trained by Fujian Normal University and the Confucius Institute at Hongxi Reese University, the 2013 class of Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (Confucius Institute Scholarship), and the first one trained by the Confucius Institute in the Philippines Doctor of Chinese Language Teaching.
After working, he served successively as a Chinese teacher, administrative director, and vice president of the Confucius Institute at Hongxi Reese University. He has been serving as the Philippine president since May 2019. He has rich experience in Chinese teaching and education management and has been committed to teaching through language and culture. Promote friendly exchanges and people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the Philippines.