At the “Chinese Bridge” language proficiency competition in Kampala, Uganda, on June 2, 2024, Hilda Ayebare said, “All our students should learn Chinese because most of the jobs or opportunities come when you know at least two foreign languages.”
“We have already rolled out the teaching of the Chinese language in our curriculum, and it has been taught in both lower and upper secondary schools across Uganda since 2020.”
The “Chinese Bridge” contest, which began 23 years ago, fosters exchange among Chinese language learners around the world to help people understand more about China and its culture.
According to Fan Xuecheng, minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, the Confucius Institute at Makerere University has trained over 20,000 Ugandan students from around 80 secondary schools, and more than 145 local Ugandan teachers can now independently teach Chinese.
The Ugandan finals of the “Chinese Bridge” language proficiency competition took place at Kyambogo College School in Kampala. During the final round, 12 students showcased their Chinese language skills and understanding of Chinese culture through speeches, quizzes, and cultural performances.
Namulemo Leticia and Kamya Ivan emerged as winners in the secondary school and college categories, respectively. They will represent Uganda in the global finals in China later this year.
Gilbert Gumoshabe, co-director of the Confucius Institute of Makerere University, said that the competition helps Ugandan students showcase the skills they have learnt and enables them to experience Chinese culture.
Interestingly, China is becoming increasingly popular for African students heading abroad in the pursuit of higher education. According to reports, the rising volumes of Chinese investments in Africa have sparked a keen interest among African youths in learning the Chinese language. This trend is gradually transforming the country into a popular destination and could potentially overtake many European destinations in the coming years.
According to recent data, the rate of African students travelling to China to study abroad grew by 258% between 2011 and 2017. The report noted that the largest number of internationally mobile students from Africa were from lower-middle-income countries such as Nigeria.
