A group of Swansea schools is taking steps to ensure their pupils are getting a headstart in dealing with the Asian Tiger economies.
Pupils at Penllergaer Primary School and a number of other schools in Swansea have been learning Mandarin with the help of a Chinese Language Assistant funded by the British Council.
Penllergaer Headteacher Graham Lewis said: “It’s China and India that will be the movers and shakers of tomorrow so it’s vital our pupils become familiar with their language and cultures.”
English education watchdog Ofsted said in a report earlier this month that languages such as Bengali and Mandarin should be given the same priority in schools as French and German.
Mr Lewis said the children had found the language a challenge but one that they had enjoyed.
“We concentrated on years five and six with an element of introduction in years three and four. The main thing is that the impetus the pupils have gained in the language is not lost so it’s great that our colleagues at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School are committed to carrying on at secondary level to ensure continuity,”
Mr Lewis said Penllergaer Primary School had a partner school in Chongqing- one of Swansea’s partner cities.
He said: “This year we have benefited from Chinese Language Assistant JoJo and have also had input from Lampeter University’s Confucius institute via support from an HSBC grant. Our next teaching assistant, Ms Chan, comes from Yubei Middle School in Chongqing and she will support Penllergaer Primary, Pontarddulais Primary and Pontarddulais Comprehensive. Chongqing may be a partner city but it has the population similar to half that of Great Britain. There are around 50 universities or Higher Education establishments and about 10,000 schools in it.”
Cllr Mike Day, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The benefits of being able to communicate in the language of the world’s strongest economy are obvious and the signs are that it’s going to become increasingly vital. This is a great project and the pupils and schools should be commended for their commitment to learning this difficult but important language. Our thanks go to the British Council for their funding.”
