Education has an unparalleled position in Chinese society. The growth of the economy and the one-child policy has led to an even greater emphasis on children doing well at school and college. Chinese parents will frequently put disproportionate amounts of economic resources into activities that might improve their child’s performance or standing. The child is lavished with attention, particularly in any field related to education and future prospects. Foreign study, both at secondary and tertiary level is frequently seen as the “holy grail” in terms of educational experience.
Within the UK, Chinese is rapidly gaining popularity as a subject of study for our young people. Many are very aware of the potential of the country, see it as a language of the future and are keen to obtain a grounding in Chinese, despite the difficulties of the language. Last year more A level students in Britain in fact took Chinese than took German.
We are great believers in the value of cross-cultural exchanges for young people. For this reason, we have been active developing links in the field of education in China, bringing young English and Chinese students together in order to learn about each other’s language and culture. This concept has already been widely welcomed, including by the British Embassy.
We are keen to encourage and foster relationships between English and Chinese educational establishments, providing opportunities for all age ranges to interact and mutually benefit from cross-cultural interaction. This applies at school age, amongst older students, from a vocational, value added, industry specific viewpoint, as well as between teachers and industry leaders.
If you are involved in education in Suffolk and wish to become involved in our efforts,
please email us
