Confucius institute to open in Gomel university on 20 December

GOMEL (BelTA) – The ceremony to open the first regional Confucius institute will take place in the Gomel State University on 20 December, representatives of the university told BelTA. 

The agreement to set up the Confucius institute was signed by the university’s rector Sergei Khakhomov and President of the Nanjing University of Science and Technology Fu Mengyin on 10 December when top officials of the Gomel State University visited China. Participants of the first session of the Confucius institute council agreed the official opening ceremony date — 20 December. Apart from that, plans for the institute’s work in 2018 were discussed and candidates for the positions of the directors were approved. The institute will be run by a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Professor Alexander Rogachev and Professor Wang Lei. The Confucius institute will focus on teaching Chinese and training sinologists, on enabling and facilitating academic exchange programs, raising the awareness about Chinese culture and traditions. 

The Nanjing University of Science and Technology has been cooperating with the Gomel State University since 1995. The project will be initially financed by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in China. 

A Confucius classroom was opened at the Gomel State University in 2013 with assistance of the Chinese embassy in Belarus. The classroom offers a venue for educational, cultural, and enlightening work. Broader cooperation has become possible thanks to stronger Belarus-China relations. 

The Gomel State University and Chinese educational institutions have signed over 20 cooperation agreements. 

The Confucius Institute program is a network of international cultural and educational centers established by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (originally called the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language). At present Belarus is home to three Confucius institutes, which operate at premises of the Belarusian State University, the Minsk State Linguistic University, and the Belarusian National Technical University.