MALAYSIAN STUDENTS IN BEIJING TAKE UP CHALLENGE TO LEARN MANDARIN

From Ahmad Zukiman Zain

BEIJING, March 26 (Bernama) -- When a group of 54 Malaysian students took up
the challenge to learn Mandarin here five months ago, they knew very little of
the language, if at all.

Today, they overcome their initial apprehension and adapted themselves to
the challenge, and the cold weather.

"We were quite apprehensive initially when offered to learn Mandarin here
but we managed to adapt to the curriculum and the environment," said Syazwan
Shamim, 19, of Melaka.

He is among 54 students who accepted the Education Ministry's offer to learn
Mandarin at the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), a world renowned
language institution here.

"I am determined to master the language; this is in line with the 1Malaysia
concept in which the people should understand one another," he said when met
after performing the Friday prayers at Niujie Mosque, the oldest and biggest
mosque in this Chinese capital city.

Muhaimi Razali, 21, from Kelantan said although difficult, he was determined
to learn the language.

"I'm all prepared to face the challenge and that is why I agreed to sign an
eight-year contract with the education ministry before coming here," he said.

He added that the course was for a period of five years.

About 100 Malaysian students are taking up Mandarin at the university.

The move to send Malaysian students at the BFSU, which offers 36 language
courses including Malay, is a follow up to the effort to internationalise the
Malaysian education system.

Hishammuddin Hussein, who was then the education minister, visited the
university on May 21, 2007, resulting in the signing of a memorandum on the
exchange of students between the ministry's teachers' education division
and the BFSU.
-- BERNAMA



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