The 2024 Fun Learning in Huayu Camp organized by the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia and supported by the Sarawak Taiwan Graduates’ Association Miri Branch was held on October 21, 2024, first at Merbau National Secondary School, and then at Pujut National Secondary School. More than 120 non-Chinese students participated in the camp activities at these schools and received a Huayu Program Completion Certificate.
The camp activities were designed to introduce some simple Mandarin to students who have no basic knowledge of Chinese through a diverse range of enjoyable classroom activities. Two Taiwanese Mandarin teachers, Ms. Chou Chia-Ju 周佳儒 and Ms. Chang Tzu-Tien 張子恬, were invited to be the main instructors for the courses, and they used a series of engaging and interactive methods to give the students an understanding of some basic Mandarin and greatly boosted the students’ interest in learning the language.
Ms. Charlin Chang, Director of the Education Division, commented that nowadays young people around the world are increasingly interested in learning Mandarin in Taiwan. “Taiwan is constantly developing its comprehensive Learn Mandarin in Taiwan, share Mandarin with the world Mandarin education system. This includes further developing its learning benchmarks, teacher training, teaching materials, and expansion of its digital learning resources to make Mandarin learning more engaging and effective. Taiwan is also continuing to promote TOCFL, the Test of Chinese as Foreign Language, overseas.”
She pointed out that there are more than 60 university-affiliated language centers and numerous institutions in Taiwan that offer a wide range of courses for students. And to encourage Malaysians to learn Mandarin in Taiwan, every year Taiwan’s Ministry of Education offers Huayu Enrichment Scholarships that provide opportunities for students to study a short-term Mandarin course at any of the recognized language centers.
Mr. Siew Tick Chai, the president of the Sarawak Taiwan Graduates’ Association (STGA), said that Mandarin is more than just a language for communication; it is a bridge between cultures that fosters harmony in Sarawak's multicultural and diverse society. Siew thanked the Education Division and Miri Taiwan Graduates Association for organizing such a meaningful program and he urged all sectors of society to support Mandarin education. The camp focused on innovative and engaging teaching methods, with the aim of inspiring a greater interest in Mandarin among non-Chinese students, and he believed the students would be likely to keep using some Mandarin in their daily interactions. He added that the STGA is dedicated to promoting Mandarin and Chinese cultural education across Sarawak by collaborating with more organizations to host similar events in the future.
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