[EDLING:1201] Outcry as government moves to introduce Chinese in universities

[Francis M Hult]

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news270106/chinese261105.htm

SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe News

Outcry as government moves to introduce Chinese in universities

By Violet Gonda
27 January 2006 

Observers have slammed Robert Mugabe’s "Look East" policy, which is now threatening to see 
the introduction of the Chinese language Mandarin in universities. These plans were 
recently announced by Stan Mudenge, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, who 
revealed that a bilateral agreement was underway with the Chinese government to exchange 
programmes including language training. It’s reported that people at universities, 
especially the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), are sceptical about this as it is common 
knowledge that the government does not have enough money to start putting together a 
Chinese curriculum. 

Mudenge said the government intends to offer a curriculum that will see students from all 
universities in the country taking Chinese in a bid to promote tourism and trade between 
the two countries. 

Political analyst and UZ lecturer John Makumbe said the government should be concentrating 
on promoting local languages first before importing other languages. "It would be 
wonderful to learn Ndebele, Nyanja, Swahili. Why go to China when we don’t even speak our 
own African languages?" He said the government is getting drunk with this "ridiculous Look 
East policy which is meaningless and has not helped this nation."

Makumbe said the students will resist if the subject is made compulsory with protest cards 
written, "Stan Mudenge and Zhing Zhongs GO BACK HOME."

Mudenge revealed that he had already held meetings aimed at making the university plans a 
reality. He said: "At a recent meeting I held in Paris with my counterpart the Chinese 
minister of education, we agreed to intensify our programmes. The compelling need to bring 
our two peoples together could be strengthened by introducing studies e.g. teaching of 
Chinese as a foreign language as well as learning Chinese history. Our universities have 
an important role in this regard."


Mudenge reportedly ordered vice chancellors from various universities to make frantic 
efforts to introduce the subject before year-end. Makumbe said this is a clear indication 
of a sick mind as it is not feasible given the poor resources in the country’s tertiary 
institutions. Furthermore, he said. "It takes at least 6 months to recruit a lecturer and 
for Mudenge to say we will introduce this curriculum in February is a clear indication 
that the man is more unwell than we imagined."