Kenya positioned to become hub for Mandarin learning

Contestants perform at the 19th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students at Kenyatta University’s Confucius Institute in May. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Kenyatta University’s Confucius Institute has begun developing a master’s degree program in Chinese studies as it seeks to position Kenya as a regional hub for Chinese language education amid deepening ties between China and Kenya.

The institute’s local director, Leonard Chacha Mwita, said the proposed program will build on the recently launched Bachelor of Arts in Chinese language, currently the only full major degree program of its kind in the East African nation.

The move marks a major expansion for the institute, which since its establishment in December 2008 has mainly offered certificate and diploma training in Mandarin to hundreds of students.

Unlike in the past, when graduates pursued postgraduate studies through partner universities in China such as Shandong Normal University, the proposed research-based master’s program is expected to admit students with honors degrees in Chinese studies and related disciplines from Kenya, across Africa, and beyond.