Young Ethiopians learning Chinese

Access to instruction in the language is expanding in the East African country

ADDIS ABABA — Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and feeling, young school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship.

One of the joyful students attending their first-ever Chinese language session at the Dimond Academy was Yonatan Henok, a 9-year-old thirdgrade student at the academy.

“Today, we learned two Chinese language songs: one about the friendship between China and Ethiopia and another song about a famous place in the Chinese capital Beijing called Tian’anmen Square,” Yonatan said.

The event was organized by the school administration in partnership with the 22nd batch of the Chinese medical team in Ethiopia.

The rare opportunity was provided to the school children on Jan 5 by He Yang, a professor of English language from China’s Henan University of Chinese Medicine, presently serving as an interpreter to the Chinese medical team in Ethiopia.

During the interactive lecture, He taught students simple Mandarin words, the long-standing EthiopiaChina friendship and famous Chinese places. The lecture captivated the young Ethiopian students who are keen to learn more about Chinese culture.

Darik Yonas, another third-grader student at the academy, spoke highly of her first-ever experience in learning Chinese.

“I am very happy today. It was a very good experience and I was lucky to be able to learn Chinese songs. I wish to one day meet Chinese children and make friends,” Darik said.

Yilfashewa Mengistu, a teacher at the Dimond Academy, spoke highly of the event introducing the Chinese language to students.

“Learning the Chinese language at a young age is vital as it facilitates students’ capabilities to learn the language easily,” Mengistu said.

“Teaching these young children the language will certainly play a crucial role in boosting the already excellent relations between the two countries,” she added.

Mengistu, however, argues for the need to provide Chinese language education on a regular basis if school children are to be able to master the language at the desired level.

“It is very good to introduce the language to these children at a young age. However, they need to get continuous education. Apart from the positive impression they will develop (on) the Chinese language, they will not be able to grasp it through such limited engagement,” Mengistu said.

Tesfaye Tetemke, Dimond Academy School director, emphasized the need to boost language education to further strengthen the people-to-people ties between the two countries.

“These children were lucky as they were able to get a rare Chinese language lesson, which is not easily accessible at their age in our country,” Tetemke said.

“Given the fact that China is a global power and a very good partner of Ethiopia, it is beneficial for our children and country to be able to learn Chinese as a priority language,” he added.

Courtesy of the ever-expanding SinoEthiopian ties, interest in studying the Chinese language is growing fast, with new institutes becoming operational at public universities in different parts of the East African country.

In addition to the federal Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institute, Chinese language studies are now provided at many other public universities across Ethiopia, such as Addis Ababa University, or AAU, in the capital, Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia’s northwestern Amhara regional state, Mekelle University in northern Ethiopia, and Arsi University in Ethiopia’s Oromia regional state.

Tetemke said the Ethiopian government, with technical support and in collaboration with China, should take the initiative and introduce the Mandarin language at lower primary school levels.

“Learning Chinese is very advantageous for our country. It will enable us to master Chinese technologies and developments as well as forge strong relations with China,” Tetemke added.

The Chinese language is now available across various higher education institutions in Ethiopia.

In October this year, the AAU, in partnership with the Confucius Institute at the university, announced that it has finalized preparations to launch its first-ever Master of Arts program in the Chinese language in Ethiopia.

“It is beneficial for our children and country to be able to learn Chinese as a priority language.” TESFAYE TETEMKE Director, Dimond Academy School, Addis Ababa