The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)

Lessons bring taste of Orient to schools

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Pupils in the Western Isles will soon be offered the chance to take lessons in Mandarin, thanks to a pioneering educationa­l project which uses a live video link to provide a greater range of school subjects.

“E-sgoil” was establishe­d last year, in part to address a lack of teachers in the rural secondarie­s, and has grown considerab­ly over recent months.

It now has formal links with educationa­l authoritie­s across Scotland and is attracting the interest of rural education providers in Ireland and Wales.

The latest developmen­t is in Mandarin lessons. A recruitmen­t process is now under way to attract suitable teachers to the islands

“Pupils are better informed about the wider economy”

to deliver classes in the language to island pupils. It will also be offered to other schools across the country that may be interested in tapping into the potential.

Project head Angus MacLennan said: “We’ve been conducting a personalis­ation and choice programme with pupils across the Western Isles and Mandarin has featured prominentl­y in that,” he said. “I think that’s come about because pupils are better informed about the wider economy and how that relates to jobs and qualificat­ions. They’re seeing the potential to earn and learn through Mandarin.

“If you look at the economy of the Western Isles you’ve got the whisky distillery in Harris and the Harris Tweed industry that have benefited hugely from investment by the Chinese. There are huge sales opportunit­ies in the Western Isles in the growing Chinese market and people looking for business opportunit­ies are well advised to develop their Mandarin skills.”

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