Chinese Institute of Chennai (CIC), which pioneered the teaching of Mandarin in Chennai using up to date teaching materials, has now signed an agreement with IGNOU, which is the largest university in India in terms of student numbers, to teach Chinese using virtual technology all over India. By doing this CIC hopes to expand its Chinese teaching nationwide and reach the whole country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

China is now the largest trading partner of India and has overtaken the US for a few years now but hardly any Indians speak Chinese which is hampering the efforts of Indian companies and Indian professionals to sell to China or even to make visits there since English is not widely spoken in China.

The tremendous need for Chinese instruction in India has not been even partially met because many of the educational institutions of India, both private and public lack the teachers and facilities to teach Chinese. Chinese Institute of Chennai entered this field two years ago and now operates two centers in Chennai and Bangalore.

In order to speed up the spread of Chinese teaching nationwide and also to reach the masses of India, CIC signed an MOU with IGNOU, which specializes in teaching the masses of India who have difficulty in enrolling in traditional institutions because of cost, distance and other factors. IGNOU is a pioneer in the use of using virtual technology and satellites to reach even the remotest corners of India. CIC and IGNOU have now joined forces to bring Chinese language to the masses of India so that they can benefit by learning the language of the rising super power – China.

The MOU between the two institutions, The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU’s) School of Foreign Langauge (SOFL) to undertake online virtual programmes in Chinese language was signed on October 12 in New Delhi at the premises of IGNOU.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both the institutes, the CIC and IGNOU, have agreed to work together in offering six and twelve month’s certificate and diploma respectively in Online Chinese language and culture.

One of the main objectives of this programme is to reach learners all over India through internet. Through this method, a virtual classroom will be created by which learners can interact with teachers and vice-versa.

"This is for the first time in India that an online virtual classroom programme to learn Chinese language is being offered. One of the main features of this programme is to reach learners at any part of India through its mode. The e-Gyankosh of IGNOU will be the conduit to offer this virtual classroom programme which is different from the online programmes of IGNOU.

Through this mode, learners and teachers will be able to talk to each other and learn virtually as it is done within the four walls of traditional teaching/ learning method," said Mr. Shiv Shankar Nayak, who is the Marketing Director of CIC based in Chennai.

The Chairman of CIC, based in Chennai, Mr. N. Balakrishnan said that, “I am very pleased and happy that we are now embarking on a course to bring the knowledge of Chinese to the masses of India. The future of the not just China and India but even Asia and the world will be determined by the way these two populous nations of the world progress over the next few decades. By learning Chinese, Indians will not only be able to do business and visit China but also be in position to sell to China and engage in mutually beneficial cultural and business activities."

For more information about this exciting project to promote understanding between the giant nations of Asia, please contact, Mr. Shiv Shankar or Ms. G.Sridevi at +91-044-43335552 / 24717876.

Understand China's growth story before venturing there

Mr. Balakrishnan (left), NRI based in Hongkong speaking to the
participants on economic scenario of China.
On his is Mr. Unni Krishnan, Director, FIEO(SR).

For the benefit of members who have joined the Federation, FIEO (Southern Region) organized a talk on Economic Conditions and Common Trading in China and Hong Kong on February 14, 2011. The meeting was attended by more than 25 member exporters.

The progamme was addressed by Mr N. Balakrishnan, an NRI based in Hong Kong. Mr Balakrishnan, who is widely travelled and has over 25 years experience working in China and Hong Kong, highlighted the potential of China as a major trading partner for India.

Read More...

Liffy Thomas

A Mandarin class in progress at an institute in Ashok Nagar.

Chayan Majumder, 30, a Chennai-based entrepreneur, still recalls the difficulty encountered by him during his first visit to China, where he often travels as part of an import-export garment business he runs.

"I had a tough time during my early visits as it was difficult to describe small things or even ask for directions to a place or a restaurant. Everything is written and spoken in Chinese," he says.

Now, for over a month, Mr. Majumder has joined five others businessmen at a language school here to learn the basics of Mandarin. The businessman, who is well-versed in English, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali, is confident that knowing this foreign language will help him do better trade.

Read More...

LINETTE LIM

With increasing people-to-people contact between India and China, and growing interest in Chinese culture, more and more people are now learning Chinese.

Chinese language education in Chennai is seeing a mini boom. "Enquiries for our Chinese language courses have doubled since our inception last year," says Sudha Mythili, Business Development Executive of the Chinese Institute of Chennai.

The first and only language institute in the city to specialise in Chinese language education, the Chinese Institute of Chennai offers two courses, a basic-level spoken Chinese course, and an advanced-level Chinese character writing course. Taught by Indian instructors who have been trained in China, the basic course costs Rs. 8000 and runs over 30 hours. Students who have enrolled in the basic course are mainly working professionals in their 30s, but exceptions include an 8th standard boy and a 76-year old man. In time to come, the institute intends to expand its service offerings to include business consulting for Indian enterprises interested in tapping the China market.

The director of the institute, N. Balakrishnan, says he "saw a commercial opportunity in providing Chinese language training when China overtook the USA as India's largest trading partner." As a result of globalisation and economic liberalisation, people-to-people contact between the two countries have increased. S.P. Venkata Nagarajan, 49, attests to this.

The entrepreneur enrolled in a basic course at the institute after his interest in China was piqued by his son, who is pursuing undergraduate studies at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Commenting on the new economic world order, Mr. Nagarajan says, "The two economies (of India and China) will grow in a big way, and my son, with his Chinese contacts and his understanding of the Chinese culture and language, will have a good role to play."

China's rise as an economic power, as well as greater interest in Chinese culture, is prompting increasing interest in learning the Chinese language. Indeed, as Liu Nan, press attache of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, notes, the number of Indian students in China has risen steadily, from roughly 1,000 in 2006, to slightly under 7,000 in 2008, and to 11,000 this year.

He attributes the increasing trend to a series of agreements and MoUs inked between the two countries in 2005, which eased the visa process for Indian students. Other reasons include the relative affordability of a Chinese tertiary education and the increasing number of English-medium courses offered by Chinese universities. For more information about the Chinese Institute of Chennai, contact 044-43335552 / 24717876.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chinese-to-be-introduced-in-CBSE-says-Kapil-Sibal
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