In the bustling classrooms of special boarding schools across Ethiopia’s Oromia region, local Chinese language teachers are engaged in an exciting educational journey, harnessing the power of language to bridge cultures. Fitsum Mussa, who studied Chinese language at Dalian University in China, is one of the pioneer local Chinese language teachers playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of their students while fostering stronger cultural connections between Ethiopia and China. “I remember the innovative ways that our Chinese teachers used to boost our interaction and learning capabilities during our early days learning the language. The Confucius Institute at Addis Ababa University (AAU) has been instrumental in enhancing the capacity of Ethiopian Chinese language teachers. A significant milestone in maintaining the balance between teachers’ language proficiency and pedagogy is the recent introduction of the first-ever local Chinese language textbook, dubbed “Hello, Chinese,” featuring Chinese-Amharic and Chinese-Afan Oromo languages.

Source: Ethiopian News January 22, 2024 12:47 UTC