The British government announced on Wednesday a programme to train 1,000 new Chinese language teachers in England over the next five years, part of efforts to forge closer commercial ties with China.

In these file pictures Tang Yonghong from China teaches Mandarin in a British school. The British government announced on November 9 a programme to train 1,000 new Chinese language teachers in England over the next five years, part of efforts to forge closer commercial ties with China.

The 1,000 new Chinese language teachers would come on top of the around 100 qualified teachers already in England.

The programme would aim to train enough teachers to enable every pupil aged 11 and over in England who wants to learn Mandarin to do so.

China's status as the world's second largest economic power has encouraged parents and pupils to see Mandarin as the most useful language to learn, rather than the traditional French and German taught in many senior schools.

The announcement coincided with a visit to Beijing by Prime Minister David Cameron and a large business delegation.

A shortage of qualified teachers is the most serious obstacle to meeting the rapidly increasing demand for the chance to learn Chinese.

The new teachers will be trained up through a combination of short courses at a number of UK universities and a special summer training course at Beijing university.

(China Daily via Agencies November 10, 2010)