merrion street

Ms Xiang Yi Liu, Mandarin Tutor, UCD Confucius Institute, with Minister Cannon

Minister of State for Training and Skills Ciaran Cannon is to begin Mandarin lessons with UCD Confucius Institute. 

The Minister said:

Our relations with China have never been more important. We need to keep up the momentum developed with the Taoiseach’s visit to China, and the visit of Vice President Xi Jinping to Ireland.

Ireland’s two Confucius Institutes, at UCD and UCC, play a crucial role not just in educating university students, but in classrooms and businesses far beyond their campuses. During my recent visit to China I visited the headquarters of Hanban, the institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education which is committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide through its Confucius Institutes.

I am very pleased to see that the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland has worked with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in developing the new unit on Chinese language and culture for transition year students and I look forward to many similar developments as our relationship with China develops over the coming years.

During my education mission to China I was struck by the scale of the opportunity for Ireland in Asia. We must realise however that inter-cultural sensitivity and understanding have never been more important if Irish people and businesses are to succeed in such a vastly different cultural environment.

Education is one of the strongest links between Ireland and China and as a Minister in the Department of Education and Skills, I hope to be doing a lot of business with China in the coming years. I want to be able to be able to demonstrate my respect towards Chinese culture, and show that we are serious about using education as a bridge between our two countries.

Pictured are Ms Xiang Yi Liu, Mandarin Tutor, UCD Confucius Institute, with Minister Cannon.