Villa College opens Chinese language training centre

Villa College and Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) on Wednesday opened a Chinese Language Centre in the Maldives.

The centre was inaugurated at a special ceremony held at Villa College:

The language centre opened at Villa College will be operated in collaboration with Chang'an University of China and Hunan Mass Media Vocational and Technical College. The trainings to be conducted at the centre are:

Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese ambassador to the Maldives Wang Lixin noted that the centre will not only teach the country's language, but its culture and customs too.

The ambassador also noted that the Maldives is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists and that it will benefit Maldivians working in the tourism sector as well. The ambassador also noted that job opportunities will be facilitated in the future and that it will also make it easier for Maldivian students going to China to pursue higher education.

Foreign Secretary Latheef added that the centre will resolve the complaints received in the tourism sector by Chinese tourists as there are no Maldivians who can speak Chinese.

Dhivehi language is officially taught at the Foreign Studies University of Beijing, China. This is the first time Dhivehi language has been taught in a country other than the Maldives.