Jun. 10 -The Joint Working Conference and Learning Achievement Display of Online Chinese Classroom was held online on Tuesday by Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) of Pakistan, Shenyang Normal University (SYNU) of China and ChinaPlus. The program was started in 2021, which offers different levels of Chinese language courses free of cost to Pakistani students. So far, more than 500 students have learned basic Chinese language courses.
On the conference, certificates were distributed to 150 students who completed the online Chinese language course. “In this academic year, 10 online Chinese classes are offered in BZU, Pakistan. All undergraduate students of the mathematics department of BZU have taken HSK1 level course as a mandatory course. New HSK3 level course is set up to meet the need of students at higher level,” addressed Zhang Wei, director of international Chinese language office in SYNU.
“Our school also has advantages in computer, chemistry, biology, physics, food and other majors. In the future, we will actively plan more quality courses with Bahauddin Zakariya University,” Tong Yuping, vice president of SYNU added.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Uzair, Dean of BZU, said that learning Chinese is one of the requirements of the era. “Students who have completed online courses certainly deserve congratulations. I expect that the Chinese language will not only open the doors of knowledge for them, but also continue to be their asset in their practical life.”
On this occasion, the students presented songs and poems in Chinese language. Ms Maham Jabeen, a first enrolled middle school student, performed a Chinese poem “mǐn nóng”. “Whenever I feel low in mood, I rehearse Chinese characters and Pinyin and feel highly motivated. It feels like language therapy,” one student said. Students expressed gratitude to online language teachers, and said these courses are assisting in bridging the gap between cultures, better understanding Chinese counterparts, and establishing a foundation of knowledge and understanding with them, which is essential for effective communication.
“We will extend these online free courses to other universities and BZU affiliated colleges. More Pakistani students can take opportunities to learn Chinese and build their future careers,” said Dr. Abid Ali, Adjunct Professor of College of Life Science of SYNU and also Focal Person for the program. He will visit SYNU in July to promote this cooperation to maximize the interest of students and faculty community. He plans to open other avenues such as cultural and academic activities through joint working groups.
