Zhong Yinghua, president of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching and president of Tianjin Normal University, chaired the opening ceremony of the 14th International Chinese Teaching Seminar of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching on Saturday and Sunday. [Photo by Yang Cheng/chinadaily.com.cn]

Top-notch teachers of Chinese are in critical demand around the world amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Zhong Yinghua, president of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching and president of Tianjin Normal University.

He made the remark at the 14th International Chinese Teaching Seminar of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching held over the weekend.

He said the average age of international Chinese learners is trending younger, while more learners see Chinese language proficiency as a key rung in their career ladder.

Amid rising global demand, individual countries and regions have shown differentiated demand.

"More custom-made, innovative courses using intelligent technologies that cater to the needs of widespread populations are new features of the current international Chinese learning," Zhong said.

Other experts explained the reasons behind the rising demand for high-quality international Chinese teachers.

Ma Jianfei, head of the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation, indicated that global Chinese learning has a major trend:

"Chinese plus professional studies have enhanced the sense of gain for Chinese learners, offering them a wealth of job opportunities," Ma said.

In addition, a series of teaching standards to help regulate global Chinese teaching and learning made by the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching in recent years have improved the sector's overall standards, he said.

A group of government officials and leading Chinese teaching experts from around the world attend the 14th International Chinese Teaching Seminar of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching, which was held in Tianjin, on Saturday and Sunday. [Photo by Yang Cheng/chinadaily.com.cn]
Wang Shangxue, the former Chinese director of the Thailand Maritime Silk Road Confucius Institute, which is run by Tianjin Normal University, said that in-depth Chinese learning associated with occupational skills, such as high-speed rail, electronic machinery and e-commerce, are becoming more popular around the world.

"AI-driven Chinese teaching methods and a growing number of livestreaming courses have become new driving forces, while the more diverse training institutions including universities and companies are taking part in the international Chinese teaching sector," she said.

In addition, during the event, the center announced that its Chinese learning platform has provided online training to 20 million users from around 200 countries and regions, as well as services for 5,000 organizations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the outbreak, the platform has offered 340 courses and more than 16,000 classes.

The center has provided combined scholarships for as many as 23,000 students, ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students. It has also offered training to some 20,000 international Chinese teachers and organizers.

来源：2021年12月20日 中国日报网

链接：https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202112/20/WS61c04622a310cdd39bc7c75d.html