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Irish schools introduce Chinese culture and language courses for students

22 schools have adopted new Chinese program

KERRY O’SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, May 4, 2012, 8:29 AM

Updated Friday, May 4, 2012, 8:29 AM

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Chinese culture and language courses are being offered in pilot programs in secondary schools around Ireland

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Chinese culture and language courses are being offered in pilot programs in secondary schools around Ireland. Being offered as a new Transition Year module, the new course will provide Irish teenagers with the opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture.

The Irish Independent reports on the newest subject being introduced to Irish students. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was joined by representatives of the Chinese embassy and the Hanban Institute, the headquarters of Confucius institutes worldwide, were in Portlaoise for the program’s official launch.

Currently, 22 of about 730 secondary schools have adopted the Chinese module into their curriculum. It will be up to individual schools whether or not they want to adopt the new Chinese programs.

A piqued interest in Chinese comes as Ireland is actively working on creating stronger trade links with the economic powerhouse. 2012 saw China's vice-president Xi Jinping spend three days in Ireland in February, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny making a return trip to China in March.

The primary aim of the new Transition Unit is to awaken curiosity in Chinese by introducing students to both modern and traditional aspects of Chinese culture, all with the introduction of Chinese language along the way. An array of Chinese cultural studies are being offered that range from martial arts, ancient Chinese medicine, tea-making and paper-cutting to modern student life.

Developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the UCD Confucius Institute, the new modules should present Junior Cert students with option of doing a short course in Chinese by 2014. Long term, the goal is to offer Chinese as a Leaving Cert subject.

Nster.com

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33 Comments

15 - 33 | See all comments

Greendays | May 07, 2012, 05:30 PM EDT

I like kung fu movies as much as the next guy; but unless somebody, like Isreal, pulls the plug on their godless plans, Ireland will be nothing but a rear pocket in a pair of bluejeans(bluegenes-neither looks right), the Chinese hordes gave away.

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GeorgeDillon | May 06, 2012, 09:18 AM EDT

Ciaradexy: "There are many secondary schools here teaching eastern european languages just as all schools teach Spanish, German and Italian languages". You truly are an utter fool and incorrigible liar. There is NOT ONE Irish school which teaches Eastern European languages. You say there are "mamy". Name three, you lying clown. And of course your other assertion, that all schools teach German, Italian and Spanish, is another piece of mindless ciaradexy nonsense. How about French, you oaf? It's the most commonly taught language apart from Irish. And as for Italian and Spanish, fewer than 5% of Irish schools would offer those languages.

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Scrivner | May 06, 2012, 12:29 AM EDT

Bunkerhill, you are mistaken, the Chinese, throughout their long history, were rightly feared by their neigbors, whether in the north (the Japanese story of the devine wind smashing the Chinese invasion fleet) or the south (note the Vietnamese epic poem of how the people of the south (literally viet nam)outsmarted a contingent of Mandarins who came to justify an invasion). These neighboring peoples learned to "deal" with the middle kiongdom, much as the countries of Latin America have learned to "deal" with the USA.

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aloistmartin | May 05, 2012, 06:32 PM EDT

Those who Will Not learn from Stair; Will help The Peoples Republic, build a better Tomorrow ! And yet, for all Her Astute Sociological Diplomacy, I. would well beware the Fatalistic Curse, of China`s own travailing of the Ages @?

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ciaradexy | May 05, 2012, 05:40 PM EDT

George, you read the British tabloids for your news on Ireland! The daily mail of all papers! Im sure you can find out whats happening in the British soaps in there too. And there are many secondary schools here teaching eastern european languages just as all schools teach Spanish, German and Italian languages including the culture but we still havent been taken over by any of those nations which you seem to insinuate is going to happen because of our relationship with the chinese. Your country is full of chinese who work their backsides off, you should remember that. Youre just like them! Migrant spawn.

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GeorgeDillon | May 05, 2012, 03:16 PM EDT

mamaginnty: "Never heard of any school here giving Polish or Lithuanians exams in their own language". The fact that Momma G hasn't heard of it only shows she should read the newspaper now and then. Wake up, Momma, you're watching too much Coronation Street. It's not schools giving the exams, it's the Irish Leaving Certificate.

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mamaginnty | May 05, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT

nanajoan, if you are in America look to your own, they are licking Chinese ass to get work brought over. One complex is all they are building which will employ about 1000 people, some take over, why did you not complain when we had dozens of American firms here.

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nanajoann | May 05, 2012, 12:44 PM EDT

I think the Irish have lost their minds. The Chinese are trying to take over the world and now they are into Ireland. Why can't the Chinese learn to speak english which is used in Ireland. You are giving away the country and my mother who is from Clare is rolling over in her grave. Wake up!!!!!

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mamaginnty | May 05, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

Never heard of any school here giving Polish or Lithuanians exams in their own language, we do teach Irish as well as French and German, plus take any other language in 3rd level exams. It is more about learning Chinese culture, and maybe a few words in Chinese won't go amiss.

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Curitiba | May 05, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese are basically dialects of each other. That's how much Chinese dialects differ from each other. Regional English varieties do not differ from each other to that extent. It is a matter of getting used to the local accent, rather than learning another language. In general, that is. Varieties such as Black American English do not take their influences from England, so I can't comment on that. I also notice that UK newspaper comment boards are very popular with American contributors. Dialects did exist in the past in England, but they have nearly all gone now, only the accent remains.

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Curitiba | May 05, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT

I can understand any American, apart from Nicholas Cage. I like his films, but I never have a clue what he is saying. i have to listen to the rest of the cast to get an idea of what is going on.

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GeorgeDillon | May 05, 2012, 09:34 AM EDT

Bunkerhill: "We along with so many Americans do not watch English movies or comedy because we don't have a clue what they are saying". But you're not being logical. The poster curitiba explicitly said that English did have accents, but claimed that English has no dialects. SO you're just unknown to yourself agreeing with what he claimed. The whole topic of "dialect" is a tricky one, I don't think there are easy definitions. Would we say Black American English is a dialect of English? It certainly has enough features--distinctive pronunciation, extensive vocabulary, lots of different grammatical features--to make it a separate dialect of English. I certainly don't know enough about Chinese to jump into any discussion of Chinese dialects.

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bunkerhill | May 05, 2012, 09:08 AM EDT

To Curtiba saying that English has no dialects is rediculous. We along with so many Americans do not watch English movies or comedy because we don't have a clue what they are saying. We also find it very hard to understand some Americans. English is almost 60% Latin and that does help many of us. Twice as many people worldwide speak Chinese than English, and the Chinese are the richest people in the world. We Americans are in debt to the tune of billions to them. The Chinese second and third generations across Asia run those countries because of their tremendous I.Q.'s many over 200. As for English overlords in Ireland, so many English on arriving on Irish soil immediately changed and said they were Irish. Some of them made great Irish patriots. Are the royal overlords of England, English? Also China did not go around attacking and claiming countries for their royals, including mine. We did fight back however. Get over yourself.

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bogsidebunny | May 05, 2012, 08:54 AM EDT

The Irish happily took their British "masters" shillings 150 years ago. Then the Irish gleefully took the European Union's Euro 12 years ago, which spawned the "Celtic Tiger". Now they'll gladly embrace the Asian "human rights violators" and take the Chinese Yuan. Of course they've always welcomed the Yankee tourists dollars and corporate taxes despite their loathing of the American C"Capitalist Satan". History shows they'll sell their souls to the highest bidder.

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Curitiba | May 05, 2012, 05:32 AM EDT

sirpeter: the reason I disagree with what you say is because English is so widespread and has no dialects (with the possible exception of Glaswegian), only accents, whereas "Chinese" is dialect-ridden and is concentrated in one place (China) and is only spoken abroad by the Chinese Diaspora, nobody else. I think English will reign supreme for a long time to come.

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