On October 22, the Confucius Institute held the opening ceremony for the new cohort of Chinese language students at the Kabarak University teaching site. The event was hosted by Chinese teacher Lin Qingru, with the participation of the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute Prof. Liu Yutao, the Kenyan Director, Prof. Arnold M. Opiyo, the Chinese Program Coordinator at Kabarak University, Dr. Maina Waiganjo, and nearly 30 students.
In his speech, Prof. Liu Yutao, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, expressed his welcome to the new students. He pointed out that learning Chinese presents unique challenges and has significant value in the job market, encouraging students to persist and work hard to master the language, making it a core competitive advantage for their personal development. Prof. Arnold M. Opiyo, the Kenyan Director, emphasized the practical value of learning Chinese in scholarship applications and various academic fields. He hoped that students would seize the opportunity to enhance their Chinese language skills. Dr. Maina Waiganjo, the Chinese Program Coordinator at Kabarak University, stated that they would strengthen cooperation with the Confucius Institute and continue to support Chinese language teaching, promoting the further development of Chinese education and Sino-Kenyan cultural exchange.
During the event, the host briefly reviewed the development history and achievements of the Confucius Institute, explaining its core value in Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange. The ceremony included a segment where awards were presented to students who performed excellently in the HSK exams, setting a benchmark for the new students. The video shared by the International Chinese Language Teacher Scholarship recipient Dai Baolan conveyed the positive energy that hard work eventually leads to rewards. Students Bo Peitu and Brian shared their experiences of studying Chinese in China and Tai Chi training, and presented an impressive Tai Chi performance, which sparked the new students' interest in learning Chinese and exploring Chinese culture in depth.
This new cohort is the third group of students since Kabarak University became a teaching site of the Confucius Institute, marking a new phase of stable development for local Chinese language education. The Confucius Institute will continue to deepen Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange, and promote Sino-Kenyan cultural cooperation and collaboration.
