Queensland's first Confucius Institute, which is based at Queensland University of Technology, was officially opened today by the Premier of Queensland, the Hon Anna Bligh.
The QUT Confucius Institute will deliver a range of courses and services designed to develop and nurture the teaching of the Chinese language and culture in Queensland.
QUT's Institute partner is the Jiangsu Education Department which is based in the province of Jiangsu, located on the eastern seaboard of China. The province has a population of more than 75 million and produces more than 15 per cent of China's GDP.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said QUT had had a close relationship with Jiangsu for more than 10 years.
"While most Confucius Institutes in the world have particular Chinese university partners, QUT has drawn on its longstanding relationships with the Jiangsu Education Department to establish this Institute," Professor Coaldrake said.
"This means that opportunities exist for QUT to develop relationships with many universities in the province."
Associate Professor Bob Elliott, the inaugural Director of the Confucius Institute, said the centre would help the state government's recent push to encourage more Year 12 students to be fluent in Asian languages, including Mandarin.
"The Confucius Institute at QUT will assist in achieving this through the development of competent teachers and providing better facilities and resources for students in Queensland schools," Professor Elliott said.
"To this end, the Institute has formed strategic partnerships with both Education Queensland and Independent Schools Queensland."
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said at the opening that the Confucius Institute was the continuation of a very important relationship between Queensland and China.
"When we teach children a foreign language, when we open their eyes and ears to a language other than their own, we open before them a window to the world," Ms Bligh said.
"In Queensland we have always understand that our relationship with the countries in our region, the countries of Asia, countries like China, is important to our ongoing prosperity, peace and security. So we want our children to have a very strong understanding of our place in the Asian region."
The Institute, which is also supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education - Office of Hanban, provides programs for teachers, groups and individuals offering them courses to develop Chinese language skills and a better understanding of Chinese culture.
Today's official opening, held at the Confucius Institute's offices at Kelvin Grove campus, was attended by delegates from Hanban, led by Deputy Director Zhao Guoqiang, officials from Jiangsu Provincial Education Department and from the Shandong Publishing Company, who donated a full set of Confucius publications to the Institute.
Media contact: Rachael Wilson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 1150 or rachael.wilson@qut.edu.au.
**High res image available
