Utah Legislature Recognizes "Enormous Contributions" of Confucius Institutes
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Confucius Institutes across the state were honored by the Utah legislature at the state capitol on May 17. The legislature presented a citation of honor to a delegation from the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing (Hanban) attending the Eleventh National Chinese Language Conference. Senator Curtis Bramble (R - District 16) said that this citation recognizes the efforts of the people of Utah to advance Chinese language programs with the support of Confucius Institutes.
Click to view Utah Legislature's citation.
Citation of Honor Delivered to Confucius Institutes at Utah State Capitol. [Tweet this.]
At the conference opening ceremony, Utah Governor Gary Herbert affirmed his commitment to advancing Utah's Chinese dual language immersion program, citing the value of Chinese language education for Utah's economic development and workforce employability.
Since the establishment of the first Confucius Institute in Utah in 2007, more than 13,000 students have participated in Chinese language classes. Supported by Confucius Institutes, Utah's dual language initiative has become a leading program in American immersion language instruction, preparing Utahns to thrive in a globalized society. In his meeting with Utah students and educators, Senator Orrin Hatch (R) called the Confucius Institutes' programming "really critical and crucial" and said "learning [Chinese] ... is in [the US'] best interest."
Senator Howard Stephenson (R - District 11) said that "the success of Utah's Chinese language program would not have happened without the Confucius Institutes and the caliber of teachers provided through these partnerships." He added, "I have never seen more dedicated teachers than those from the Confucius Institute." An advocate for dual language immersion in Utah, Sen. Stephenson claims "monolingualism is the illiteracy of the 21st Century." [Tweet this.]
Memorandum of Understanding Signed
Following the recognition, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Hanban and the Utah State Board of Education on May 18. The MOU recognized Utah's dual language Chinese immersion education program and the role of the Confucius Institutes in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the US and China. Hanban pledged ongoing support of Confucius Institutes to meet Utah's growing demand for Chinese language and culture classes.
The Confucius Institute U.S. Center is a nonprofit organization that supports the teaching of Chinese language and culture in the United States and fosters educational exchanges between China and the United States.
Media contact: Gao Qing - [email protected]
SOURCE Confucius Institute U.S. Center
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