India-Taiwan Bilateral Forum on Mandarin Chinese Teaching Materials for Indian Learners

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By

Jose Kalathil

Educators and Chinese Mandarin experts from Taiwan and India will deliberate on subjects like the practical or theoretical experience on writing or editing principles of Mandarin Chinese Teaching materials, design strategy of Mandarin Chinese Teaching materials, application of digital media of Mandarin Chinese Teaching materials and human resource development and exchange in Mandarin Chinese Teaching materials, at the second “India-Taiwan Bilateral Forum on the Mandarin Chinese Teaching Materials for Indian Learners” to be held at Amity University, Noida, from May 18 to 19, 2018. Sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, it is organized jointly by Amity University, Noida, Programme Office for Taiwan Education Centre in India, National Tsing Hua University and National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan.

The discussants include Cheng-Cheng Chun, Director, Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese as a second Foreign Language, National Kaouhsing Normal University, Damodar Pandey, Professor, Dept of Chinese and Tibetan Language, Punjab University, Tzu-yun Huang, Programme Director and Senior Mandarin Instructor, Taiwan Education Centre in India, Amity University, Hem Kusu, Assistant Professor, Dept of Chinese Language and Culture, Visva Bharati University, Sreeparna Roy, Assistant Professor, Dept of East Asian Studies, Delhi, Saloni Sharma, Master 2nd year, Centre for Chinese and South Asian Studies, JNU, Hsi Ju Fan, editor-in-chief, New Shang Publishers, Chi-yi Hsieh, Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese as a foreign language, Kaushing University, Shiao Yang Lin, Mandarin Instructor, Taiwan Education Centre in India, O P Jindal University, Hao Chi Way, Mandarin Instructor, TECI, Amity University.

The opening ceremony to be held at Pragati Maidan, Hall 11, on 18 May, will be addressed by Chung-kwang Tien, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India, Wei-Chung Wang, Professor and Senior Adviser for Global Affairs, Office of the President, National Tsing Hua University, Walter MS Yeh, President and CEO, Taiwan External Trade Development Council.

The Forum will also discuss sharing and understanding the demand, motivation, interest and ability of Indian students for learning Mandarin Chinese from the dimensions of teaching, learning and research. The other subjects include hypothesizing possible barriers on the application and marketing in India that both parties might encounter on the Mandarin Chinese Teaching materials.

The Taiwan government’s new South-Oriented Policy also supports the use of Chinese as a medium to bring Taiwan and India closer. Therefore, the Taiwan ministry will collaborate with Amity University in establishing a Chinese university, and will discuss the current research and update of Indian language teaching materials in India so as to improve the quality of Chinese language teaching. With many Indians and Chinese visiting each other’s country, the demand for learning Mandarin in India has also increased. This has helped Taiwan an opportunity to bet on the rich experience of teaching Chinese.

Jose Kalathil

Jose Kalathil is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. With more than three decades of experience in different publications in India and Nepal, he is comfortable writing on any topic under the sun.