Principals and head teachers from 100 Canadian primary and secondary schools were in Beijing on Monday hoping to forge deeper links with the Confucius Institute so they can offer more Mandarin classes at their schools.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board from Montreal, Quebec, was part of the delegation.

Marcus Tabachinck, chairman of the school board, said it already offers some Mandarin instruction but wants to expand that to meet student demand.

He said the board, which serves about 30,000 students at 60 elementary and secondary schools and vocational education centers, introduced a mini-Mandarin course for pre-kindergarten children two years ago.

Only four students signed up when it was first offered but the number has grown quickly since then, he said.

"You would be amazed how well our students speak Chinese," he said. "Some students whose country of origin is China but who were born in Canada can correct their parents' Chinese after attending our class."

Because of the popularity of the course, the school board is hoping to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Confucius Institute to develop a Mandarin program for higher grades.

"China is a growing and important partner of Canada. Parents want their children to be prepared for a future in which China will be a vital player," he said.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties between China and Canada. President Hu Jintao visited Canada in June and had a comprehensive discussion with Canadian leaders about the two countries' exchanges in the areas of culture and education.

Hu said at the time that he would invite 100 Canadian education officials to visit China this year and invite 100 Canadian students to participate in summer camps in China next year.

Language is vital in cultural exchanges between countries, Zhao Guocheng, deputy director of the Confucius Institute, said as he addressed the Canadian delegation.

"Chinese people are very passionate about learning English and understanding the world. I hope Canadians will be enthusiastic about learning Chinese as well," he said.

At present, Canada has seven Confucius Institutes for university students and 15 Confucius classrooms for primary and middle school students. The institute has arranged for 48 teachers and volunteers to travel to Canada to teach Mandarin and a total of 157 Canadians have received Confucius Institute scholarships.

(China Daily October 20, 2010)