Utah Parliament Confers Letter of Commendation to Confucius Institutes

On May 17th, Curt Bramble, President pro tempore of the Utah Senate, conferred a letter of commendation to the Confucius Institute Headquarters, commending three Confucius Institutes, namely the Confucius Institute at University of Utah, the Confucius Institute at Southern Utah University and the Confucius Institute at Davis School District, for their contributions in promoting language teaching in Utah and the immersion education of Chinese and enhancing Utah people’s understanding of China and the development of global education.

Howard Stephenson, Utah Senator and Advocate of Dual Language Immersion pointed out in his speech that monolingualism is tantamount to illiteracy in the 21st century. Without the high-level Chinese teachers assigned by Confucius Institutes and Hanban, the Chinese teaching project in Utah would not be successful. The teachers of the Confucius Institute are the most dedicated teachers he has ever met. Zhao Guocheng, Deputy Director-General of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, pointed out in his speech that with the sincere cooperation between Chinese and American educators, Confucius Institutes have become one of the most important channels of cultural exchange between China and the United States. The commendation from Utah Council greatly inspired people from all walks of life who work for, support and concern themselves with the work of Confucius Institutes.

On May 18th, Zhao Guocheng, Deputy Director-General of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, and Sidney Dixon, Director of the Education Department of Utah, signed the memorandum of cooperation to deepen collaboration.

Since the establishment of the first Confucius Institute in Utah in 2007, more than 13,000 students have learned Chinese, and over 130,000 people have participated in the various cultural programs and activities organized by it. With the support of Confucius Institutes, the bilingual program of Utah has taken the lead in the immersion language education in the US, laying a solid foundation for Utah people to engage in globalization. In a meeting with Utah students and educators last month, Orrin Grant Hatch, President pro tempore of the United States Senate, said that the Confucius Institute project was “very critical and crucial”, and “learning Chinese is favorable for Americans”.