Second Chinese language basic course wraps up

Our Mandarin Class

Ninety students from different walks of life recently concluded the second batch of the Mandinarin basic course conducted at the GNPC building on Bertil Harding Highway sponsored by the Taiwanese Embassy in The Gambia as part of the bilateral relations between the two nations.

In an interview with MarketPlace, Mrs Carring, an Overseas Volunteer from Taiwan to lecture the Mandarin Language in The Gambia University and the Taiwanese Cultural Centre, said the cultural centre is established by their Ambassador to The Gambia His Excellency Samuel Chen in March 2012.

“Since the start of the cultural center we have graduated batches on the basic level and the outstanding students in the first batch are the intermediate one and two defending their performances in the class.”

Talking on the importance of the cultural centre, Ms Carring said: “It helps people, especially the students, to know about the different cultural activities and beliefs in the two nations. 

“It has also created hospitality between the people attending the classes. The way Gambians approach the course is a real sign of improvement because of the new education they have gained in terms of cultural exchanges,” she said. 

Ms Carring

Taiwan Embassy giving a free education to Gambians is part of the agreement and cordial relationship between the two countries, and also to create cooperation and understanding between the two parties. 

“The performance of the students who took the course in different batches is extremely good and every student tried his/her best, but only the best out of the lot will be promoted to the next stage. Although the course may be very hard for a beginner, everyone tried his/her best,” Carring said.

The high levels of Mandarin education for someone to acquire in The Gambia are intermediate certificate levels one and two and Advanced Diploma certificate.

She however said that acquiring all these certificates does not mean that the student will be going to Taiwan because it is a different thing. These classes are for the people to learn and gain ideas in the different cultural activities in the two states.

Kawsu Sanyang of Lamin Village, a management student at the MDI, said the importance of this to him as a management student cannot be overemphasised. 

Mr Sanyang said: “The course will help me to equip myself ahead of my management career. Management is a wide area that needs someone to study different languages hence you never know where you will find yourself tomorrow. 

Maimuna and Ms Carring

“I think this classes also came in the right time considering the rapid development taking place in the Chinese economy now in the world among them science and technology. I want to commend the Taiwanese Embassy for providing this free education for young Gambians to study Chinese.”

For her part, Ya Fatou Jange also said the course will help her a lot because it can serve as her third language as a student currently studying a course in Corbin Crow as a flight attendance. 

“This will help me to do my work effectively as a flight attendance anywhere I find myself hence I don't know where my future destination will be. I want to recommend to everyone especially the young people to come and study the Chinese language for future reasons,” Ya Fatou said.

Mr Lamin Jarjue, General Manager of Kololi Beach Hotel, said the course has come at the right time for him as a manager of a tourist industry. 

“Nowadays many Chinese tourists are coming to my hotel where we find it very difficult to communicate with them simply because of language barrier. But with this current basic Chinese I will be able to communicate with them and know what they want. 

Mr Jarjue: “I want to challenge the Taiwanese Embassy in the country to continue running this course for the young people of this country.”