Press releases

VITEBSK, 4 April (BelTA) – Orsha school teachers will get an opportunity for on-the-job training and Chinese language courses in China. These are the results of the visit of the Chinese delegation to Orsha, BelTA learnt from head of the Orsha District Department of Education, Sport and Tourism Andrei Zagursky.

Since 2014 Chinese language open classrooms have been run in three educational establishments of Orsha: secondary schools No.16 and No.3 and Gymnasium No.2. The courses are supported by the Institute of Confucius. “Starting this year volunteers from the Institute of Confucius have been teaching both students and teachers. Once 17 teachers from different schools of the city sit the first-level exam, they will get an opportunity for on-the-job training in China, then complete language courses and get a major in teaching foreign language in the university in Minsk. We will also train our personnel in order to shift from facultative studies to the inclusion of the Chinese language into the curriculum. As one of our future plans, we will set up an interregional center, an Office of Confucius. This what was discussed during the visit of the Chinese delegation to our city,” Andrei Zagursky explained.

These abovementioned prospects will be discussed in detail in late April when Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming is expected to come to the region again as part of the investment forum. “The Chinese side is ready to support its sincere interest in our education system. For instance, only 11 students learnt Chinese in School No.3 in 2015. This year their number has already reached 74. The number of students learning Chinese in other two institutions also was on the rise: 10 learners more in each school,” the Department of Education, Sport and Tourism added.

The Chinese delegation led by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming paid a visit to Orsha on 1-2 April to get familiar with the region’s secondary education system, especially at schools with facultative studies on the Chinese language and culture.