More than 2,500 Chinese language experts have graduated from the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe since it opened a decade ago.

A Confucius Institute is a nonprofit public institution affiliated with China's Ministry of Education and tasked with promoting the Chinese language and culture, supporting the teaching of Chinese across the world and organizing cultural exchanges.

The CIUZ was established in March 2007 in partnership with Renmin University of China, which made the University of Zimbabwe the second university in Africa, after the University of Nairobi, to establish a Confucius Institute.

Director of the CIUZ and senior lecturer Herbert Mushangwe says many Zimbabweans now appreciate the language as an important bridge between the two cultures.

"In 2007, the CIUZ only offered Chinese language short courses, with 30 students and only two Chinese teachers. Now we offer Chinese language as a degree (bachelor of arts major), and we were the first Confucius Institute in Africa to do so.

"Since inception, CIUZ has managed to produce more than 2,500 graduates, most of whom are working for various Sino-Zimbabwe organisations, schools and government departments as translators, teachers and marketing managers," says Mushangwe. The institute celebrated its 10th anniversary on Oct 27.

Since 2010, around 10 graduates from the University of Zimbabwe have been sent to China each year to pursue postgraduate studies, he says.

A senior lecturer at the Department of Linguistics, Laston Mukaro, says that as well as offering general degrees, the University of Zimbabwe has reviewed its curriculum to allow all honors programs. This has enabled the CIUZ, in collaboration with other departments, to offer three Chinese-related programs: honors in Chinese language and cultural studies; dual honors in Chinese and English language; and dual honors in Chinese and linguistics.

Mukaro says there is a huge demand from public and private schools for Chinese teaching.

"Over the past 10 years, the CIUZ has managed to spread its wings by opening 10 other teaching sites spread over teachers' colleges, highs schools and universities. Cumulatively, these CIUZ teaching sites have nearly 800 students studying the Chinese language," says Mukaro, who is also executive chairman of the Zimbabwe-China Alumni Association.

The CIUZ also offers demand-driven and tailor-made nondegree short term courses and part time Chinese studies.

It also serves as the only Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) and Oral Chinese Proficiency Test (HSKK) center in the country. Since the establishment of the testing center in 2012, nearly 1,800 people have taken their examinations there, doubling the number of Zimbabwean students eligible to study in Chinese universities.

The CIUZ also helps Zimbabwean students to apply for Chinese government scholarships. And since 2008, 227 students have successfully secured opportunities to further their studies at various universities in China.

The CIUZ is one of 31 Confucius Institutes in Africa and 480 in the world. More than 12 Zimbabweans are employed by the Confucius Institute.

Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping says Chinese is fast becoming a common language in Zimbabwe, which shows the success of the Confucius Institute and the scholarships provided by the Chinese government.

University of Zimbabwe Vice-Chancellor Levi Nyagura hails the University of Zimbabwe as "the only university in Africa that has trained local competent teachers of the Chinese language and culture".

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/03/2017 page29)