Committee to boost development of Chinese language teachers

The International Society for Chinese Language Teaching set up a committee based at East China Normal University in Shanghai on Friday, which will focus on facilitating professional development for Chinese language teachers in the world.

According to Zhu Guohua, director of the committee, the main goals of the committee will cover promoting training for Chinese language teachers abroad, organizing workshops and seminars and conducting research.

"Quality education needs qualified teachers. However, the cultivation and training provided for Chinese language teachers cannot fully offer them the experience required in real education situations in foreign countries. The arena also lacks systematic, long-term training," Zhu said, adding the committee will work on those aspects.

Zhu is also the dean of the international Chinese studies school at the university.

As China is stepping up efforts for higher-level opening-up and promoting international cooperation, Zhong Yinghua, president of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching, said there will be a surging demand for Chinese language learning when Chinese gradually becomes widely spoken in the world.

"The diverse environment requires teachers be well-versed in not merely language skills, but interdisciplinary knowledge, including cross-cultural communication, history and culture in other countries, and psychology," said Zhong, also the principal of Tianjin Normal University.

"Teachers should also learn to handle stress while working in a foreign country and develop the capability to solve students' problems related to their daily life," he added. "Those facts lay more responsibilities on the committee to do further study and better serve Chinese language teachers worldwide."

The International Society for Chinese Language Teaching was founded in Beijing in 1987, gathering professionals and organizations engaged in Chinese language teaching, research and promotion across the world.