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Learning from school student exchanges
By Liang Yiwen |
May 29, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FIVE foreign students are studying at local vocational school, Shanghai Industry and Commerce Foreign Languages School, as part of a one-year exchange program.
This is the first time a local vocational school has run such a program.
The five students, from Germany, Switzerland and Thailand, came to the school last September.
They attend classes with Chinese students and are required to study Chinese language and culture in their spare time.
Due to this intensive study, they have mastered the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Chinese and sat the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) Chinese Language Proficiency Test in March.
The school plans to have the foreign students attend a career training program which involves selling Chinese socks in South Korea, alongside Chinese classmates.
Students will gain experience in market research, purchasing and trading through the program. The education authorities and the school have funded the non-profit program to improve students' business skills.
"China is one of the strongest economic powers in the world and is gaining in strength and political power every year," said exchange student Manuel Morales from Switzerland.
Morales said that's why he decided to come to the country. He believes learning Chinese and discovering more about the culture will help him with a future career.
His decision was supported by his parents, but questioned by many of his friends.
At first, his classmates couldn't understand why Morales didn't go to the United States and have a fun time in a less alien environment.
But later they showed great interest in his trip, writing messages asking him about Shanghai.
In the past, only a few high schools attracted foreign students. But improvements in local vocational school facilities have now enabled these institutions to become a platform for international communications.
Shanghai plans to transform itself into an Asian education hub, according to the latest Shanghai International Education Project (between 2011 and 2015).
An estimated 47,000 foreign students were registered on local campuses in 2011. The city aims to expand the number to 70,000 by 2015.
With regards to schools, the city is encouraging local vocational schools to build links with overseas institutes and send their students to overseas study and internship program.
About 5,000 vocational school students will be sent overseas every year by 2015, under the project aims.
This is the first time a local vocational school has run such a program.
The five students, from Germany, Switzerland and Thailand, came to the school last September.
They attend classes with Chinese students and are required to study Chinese language and culture in their spare time.
Due to this intensive study, they have mastered the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Chinese and sat the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) Chinese Language Proficiency Test in March.
The school plans to have the foreign students attend a career training program which involves selling Chinese socks in South Korea, alongside Chinese classmates.
Students will gain experience in market research, purchasing and trading through the program. The education authorities and the school have funded the non-profit program to improve students' business skills.
"China is one of the strongest economic powers in the world and is gaining in strength and political power every year," said exchange student Manuel Morales from Switzerland.
Morales said that's why he decided to come to the country. He believes learning Chinese and discovering more about the culture will help him with a future career.
His decision was supported by his parents, but questioned by many of his friends.
At first, his classmates couldn't understand why Morales didn't go to the United States and have a fun time in a less alien environment.
But later they showed great interest in his trip, writing messages asking him about Shanghai.
In the past, only a few high schools attracted foreign students. But improvements in local vocational school facilities have now enabled these institutions to become a platform for international communications.
Shanghai plans to transform itself into an Asian education hub, according to the latest Shanghai International Education Project (between 2011 and 2015).
An estimated 47,000 foreign students were registered on local campuses in 2011. The city aims to expand the number to 70,000 by 2015.
With regards to schools, the city is encouraging local vocational schools to build links with overseas institutes and send their students to overseas study and internship program.
About 5,000 vocational school students will be sent overseas every year by 2015, under the project aims.
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