The Nepali government is making preparation to include the Chinese language in the curriculum of nine grade to 12 level in schools, according to a senior government official.

 

Laba Prasad Tripathi, joint secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports said on Tuesday that they were preparing the curriculum in this regard.

 

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony of the Chinese Language Proficiency Testing Center set up by the privately run Universal Language and Computer Institute, Tripathi said the government would support those institutions that initiate to provide learning opportunities of the Chinese language.

 

Sun Heping, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal said that familiarity with each other's language would contribute to enhance people to people relation between the two countries.

 

Inaugurating the center, he also said that the influence of the Chinese language was increasing day by day in the world. "Now, the Chinese language is being taught in more than 2,000 universities of 86 countries all over the world," he added.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2006)