ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's Addis Ababa University (AAU) has signed a cooperation agreement with two regional education bureaus to foster the provision of quality Chinese language education across secondary schools in the country.
The AAU, the East African country's largest and oldest higher learning institution, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday with the Addis Ababa and Oromia education bureaus, aimed at improving the teaching skills of local teachers and issuing professional certificates.
According to the agreement, the two education bureaus will identify qualified teachers for training. They are also expected to assign coordinators and arrange necessary logistical support.
Amid deepening Sino-Ethiopian ties, interest in studying the Chinese language is growing rapidly among Ethiopians, particularly the country's youth. To meet the growing demand, the East African country has been opening more Confucius Institutes, while also training local Chinese language teachers. The Chinese language is now taught as a general-interest course or academic major in many public schools across Ethiopia.
The Confucius Institute at the AAU has been instrumental in enhancing the capacity of local Chinese language teachers. Through a series of training sessions, the institute has equipped Ethiopian teachers with the necessary skills to teach the Chinese language properly.
The institute has previously introduced Ethiopia's first-ever local Chinese language textbook, dubbed "Hello, Chinese," featuring Chinese-Amharic and Chinese-Afan Oromo languages. The textbook is said to play a pivotal role in maintaining the balance between Ethiopian teachers' Chinese language proficiency and pedagogy. ■
