"Through Medium of High-Speed Rails and Bridge of Chinese "－The Second Session of the China-Thailand High-Speed Rails Chinese Language Training of Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University Successfully Concludes

On Apr. 7th, the graduation ceremony of “Belt and Road－High-Speed Rails Chinese Language Training Class” of the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University was held at the Banphai Industrial and Community Education College, Thailand. Over 100 people including Cheunjit Oktun, Secretary General of Vocational Education Commission of the Thai Ministry of Education, Junyar Pabu, President of the Banphai Industrial and Community Education College, Uthaivan Danvivath, Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University, and Hu Lin, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University as well as representatives of the teachers from some local vocational colleges and all the training students attended the ceremony.

Hu Lin, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University making a speech.

"High-Speed Rails China-Thailand Chinese Language Training Program" is a distinctive Chinese language training program proposed by the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University in response to the “Belt and Road” national development strategy. It aims to cultivate interdisciplinary professionals who have good command of Chinese and high-speed rail technology. A tripartite agreement on the program was signed in the eighth China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in August, 2015, which determined that the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University was responsible for organizing students from vocational colleges in Thailand to receive Chinese training, and then the Confucius Institute recommended the excellent students to railway vocational colleges in China to study professional knowledge of railway technology.

Students learning Chinese

As the second session of the China-Thailand high-speed rails Chinese language training class, there are 40 students coming from 20 vocational colleges of 23 provinces in Thailand this year, covering more students than that of last year. The training scale has increased greatly than that in 2016. The training funds for these students during their study in Thailand are financed by the Vocational Education Commission of the Thai Ministry of Education. During their study in China, they will receive the “Belt and Road” scholarship of the Hubei provincial government. The program is in line with the two countries’ demand for jointly cultivating professional and technical personnel of countries along the "Belt and Road", and it has received strong support from the two governments.

Students learning Chinese paper-cutting

The training content is practical and professional. Students said that the training gives them more confidence in the face of the upcoming study in China. Junyar Pabu praised that the training curriculum is very distinctive, and it has achieved the prescribed training objectives, which fully demonstrates the superiority of the new training model of “‘High-Speed Rail plus Chinese’ of the Belt and Road” advocated by the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University.

A group photo at the closing ceremony

At present, the program has exerted great influence on Thailand. It has become a benchmark for vocational Chinese training in Thailand. Many vocational institutions express their wishes to join the program. It is expected that the number of students will continue to grow greatly in the future.