Speech on the Opening Ceremony
at UPSHS Chinese Language Training Center
Professor. Hu liang cai
16th February 2017
Distinguished Chairman, Honorable Regional Minister
Regional Director of Education, Municipal Director of Education, Headmistress, Professors and Teachers, Students,
Media houses and Invited Guests
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!
My warmest welcome to all of you!
With our best wishes from Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) to University Practice Senior High school (UPSHS), we feel very honored to have this opportunity to establish Chinese language training center at UPSHS . Firstly my special thanks goes to the Confucius Institute Headquarters, Confucius Institute UCC working staff, and all staff at University Practice Senior High school (UPSHS) .In-fact I am very grateful to you all for the hard work you have done for the successful Inauguration. History tells us that Ghana and China established diplomatic relations on 5th July 1960. But our enduring national bonds began further back, and on a firm and friendly note: China was one of the first countries in the world to recognize Ghana’s independence. China first President Mao Zedong and the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, enjoyed very strong personal and fraternal relationship but it is known that his main buddy in the Chinese political echelons was the Foreign Minister, Chou En Lai. The founding fathers of the two republics laid a solid foundation for the development of the bilateral ties, and multilateral forums such as The Non-Aligned Movement. In recent times, fruitful achievements have been made in various fields of bilateral cooperation, especially under the framework of China-Africa Cooperation Forum. The establishment of these diplomatic ties between these two nations has provided more opportunities including education and as a result has paved a way to UCC and HCU established Confucius Institute at university of Cape Coast last year June 2016.
At this point view, please allow me to briefly introduce “Confucius” to you. Confucius was a great Chinese educator and famous thinker of 2000 years ago. His educational thought has nurtured the Chinese people from generation to generation, which is one of the world’s most precious cultural heritages. For example, Confucius put forward a thought that everyone has the equal right to education, regardless of his or her background or social status, which has been recognized by the people all over the world and is still of great significance till now.
So our main reason of setting up the Chinese language training center at University Practice Senior High school (UPSHS) is to strengthen educational co-operation between China and Ghana by means of supporting and promoting the development of Chinese language education in primary , middle and senior high schools to increase mutual understanding and friendship between the young people of China and Ghana.
The overseas Chinese language teaching, enhancing Sino-foreign cultural and educational cooperation has increasing friendship between China and overseas countries.
So far, more than 500 Confucius Institute and more than 1000 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 137 countries and regions of the world and let all hope our Chinese language training center at UPSHS will later become one of the Confucius Classrooms of Confucius Institute, so I wish we all keep on working hard to promote the Chinese language teaching in our school for us to become one of the best Chinese training center in Ghana, beside we will also provide scholarships to the brilliants Chinese language students and organize summer and winter camps for brilliants students, teachers and administrators in China, Finally I will say that Chinese Language train is at UPSHS now and it about move, come board and let go.
Thank you all very much.