UCL Signs Cooperation Memorandum with Confucius Institute Headquarters

On November 10th, Michael Arthur, President and Provost of University College London (UCL) and his delegation, visited the Confucius Institute Headquarters. Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters and Deputy Director-General of Hanban, held a talk and signed a cooperation memorandum with President and Provost Michael Arthur. Both sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the investigation and research of Chinese teaching in the UK and the cultivation of British native Chinese language teachers. After the signing ceremony, Michael Arthur gave a lecture entitled “Confucius Institute as a catalyst: helping to change the educational system and enhance university partnership” in the “Lectures by Star Teachers” series. Leaders of Hanban and all staff were present.

Ma Jianfei, Deputy Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters and Deputy Director-General of Hanban, meeting President and Provost Michael Arthur and signing a cooperation memorandum

Michael Arthur first reviewed the scenario of President Xi Jinping’ presence at the joint conference of the British Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms hosted by UCL during his visit to the UK in October, 2015. He said that UCL was honored to have successfully held this conference. The presence of President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony and his important speech were a great encouragement to the development of the Confucius Institutes throughout the world. Arthur regarded this as the most memorable moment in his life. Then, with the example of the IOE Confucius Institute at UCL, President and Provost Michael Arthur recounted that the Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, under the background of British culture and political system, gradually won popularity with the general public, and promoted UK Department of Education to change its existing educational system by including the Chinese language in formal foreign language courses in primary and middle schools and to spend ￡ 10 million to launch the project “Mandarin Excellence Program”. He emphasized that the development of the Confucius Institutes cannot be achieved without the excellent Chinese teachers. The achievements made by the Confucius Institutes are attributed to the outstanding Hanban teachers and the British native teachers. Regarding the future development of the Confucius Institutes, in response to the views of Deputy Chief Executive Ma Jianfei at the talks, he also believed that the continuous improvement of the teaching quality assessment system at the Confucius Institute and the further improvement of the teaching quality, training for the existing Chinese teaching staff, and the cultivation of future teaching staff are the key points for the development of the Confucius Institutes at the next stage.

About the cooperation with Peking University, the Chinese partner of the Confucius Institute, Michael Arthur said that as world-famous universities, UCL and Peking University had had long-standing partnership, but with the Confucius Institute, a core platform, the cooperation could be consolidated and expanded. The accompanying visitor Katharine Carruthers, Pro-Vice-Provost of UCL and Director of the Confucius Institute, said that Hanban and Peking University were important partners of UCL in China, and the success of this visit and the signing of the cooperation memorandum would further improve cooperation among all sides involved. Last, Michael Arthur had lively discussions with the staff of the Confucius Institute over such topics as the functions and status of the Confucius Institutes in universities, the life of Chinese teachers and volunteers in the UK and proper responses to the media.

Michael Arthur interacting with the staff of Hanban after the lecture

A group photo

“Mandarin Excellence Program”, launched by the UK government in 2016, is a Chinese language teaching program focusing on middle school students. With special funds provided by the UK government, this program, open to all public middle schools in England, aims to cultivate 5,000 students whose Chinese level will reach HSK level 4 by 2020. Entrusted by the UK Department of Education, the IOE Confucius Institute at UCL and the British Council will jointly implement the program.

The IOE Confucius Institute at UCL, established in 2007, is characterized by the Chinese language teaching for primary and middle schools and the training of British native Chinese language teachers. It is one of the world’s largest Confucius Institutes with 45 Confucius Classrooms. By 2016, it had enrolled 9886 students and trained 875 British native Chinese language teachers. It was awarded as the global honor of “Model Confucius Institute” by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in 2013.