CENTER FOR LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND COOPERATION

Center for Language Education and Cooperation/ Confucius Institute Headquarters, as a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, is committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide, it goes all out in meeting the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world.As China’s economy and exchanges with the world have seen rapid growth, there has also been a sharp increase in the world’s demands for Chinese learning. Benefiting from the UK, France, Germany and Spain’s experience in promoting their national languages, China began its own exploration through establishing non-profit public institutions which aim to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries in 2004: these were given the name the Confucius Institute.

Functions of Confucius Institute

1. To make development plans and set down establishment and evaluation criterion for Confucius Institutes
2. To examine, approve and establish Confucius Institutes
3. To examine and approve annual project proposals, budgets and financial statements of Confucius Institutes worldwide
4. To guide and evaluate the teaching activities and to control the quality of the operation of Confucius Institutes
5. To provide Confucius Institutes around the world with the support and services of teaching resources
6. To select and dispatch Chinese directors and teaching staff to Confucius Institutes, to offer training programs for the management teams and teachers of Confucius Institutes
7. To organize annual Confucius Institute conferences

UNIVERSITI MALAYA

University of Malaya, or UM, Malaysia’s oldest university, is situated on a 922 acre (373.12 hectare) campus in the southwest of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

It was founded on 28 September 1905 in Singapore as the King Edward VII College of Medicine and on 8th October 1949, it became the University of Malaya with the merger of the King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College (founded in 1928).

The growth of the University was very rapid during the first decade of its establishment and this resulted in the setting up of two autonomous Divisions on 15 January 1959, one located in Singapore and the other in Kuala Lumpur. In 1960, the government of the two territories indicated their desire to change the status of the Divisions into that of a national university. Legislation was passed in 1961 and the University of Malaya was established on 1st January 1962.

On June 16th 1962, University of Malaya celebrated the installation of its first Chancellor, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, who was also the country’s first prime minister. The first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Oppenheim, a world-renowned Mathematician.

Currently, His Royal Highness The Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah is the Chancellor of the University of Malaya.

BEIJING FOREIGN STUDIES UNIVERSITY

Beijing Foreign Studies University, or BFSU, is a prestigious university in China under the direct leadership of the Chinese Ministry of Education. It is one of China’s top universities listed under the Project 985 and Project 211, both comprising top universities in China. At present, BFSU is one of China’s oldest language universities，teaching the biggest number of languages and offering education at different levels. Located in the Haidian District of Beijing，BFSU is divided into two campuses – the West Campus and the East Campus.

In 1941, BFSU started as the Russian Language Team in the Third Branch of Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese Military and Political College. It was later renamed as Yan’an Foreign Languages School under the direct leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the school was put under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was renamed as Beijing Foreign Languages Institute in 1954 and merged with Beijing Russian Institute in 1959. Since 1980, the Institute was put under the direct leadership of the Ministry of Education. In 1994, it took on its current name Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). Today, BFSU teaches 67 foreign languages and offers education programs at different levels, including doctoral programs in foreign languages and literature, Chinese language and literature, journalism and communication, political science, law, management science and engineering, etc.

In the past 74 years, over 90,000 people have graduated from BFSU. BFSU now serves as an important education base for qualified professionals with language competence who, after graduation, work as diplomats, translators/interpreters, businessmen, journalists, lawyers, bankers, etc. For example, among BFSU alumni who work or have worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have over 400 ambassadors and over 1000 counselors. BFSU is thus known as the “Cradle of Diplomats”.