On 2 June, Prof. Lei Mingzhen, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Colombo, and Ms. Ye Wei, Chinese Director of the Confucius Classroom at Sabaragamuwa University, was invited to visit the Confucius Institute at the University of Kelaniya. Together with Mr. Guan Pin, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Kelaniya, they held a consultative meeting on the development of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms across Sri Lankan universities.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Guan Pin. Mrs. Sulochana Rathnayake, Co-Directors of the Confucius Institute at the University of Kelaniya, delivered the welcome address. All academic and administrative staff of the Confucius Institute at the University of Kelaniya attended the meeting.
The Directors engaged in in-depth discussions based on the local context of Chinese language education in Sri Lanka. Key topics included current institutional operations, differentiated training of local student cohorts, curriculum development, and the cultivation of local teaching staff. They shared practical examples of localized teaching practices from their respective institutions and identified common challenges, resource limitations, and effective strategies.
They also exchanged practical ideas on HSK promotion, optimization of locally developed teaching materials, and daily teaching challenges. All participants agreed to fully leverage the strengths of each institution and strengthen cooperation through resource sharing and complementary development.
Building on the outcomes of the recently concluded 25th “Chinese Bridge” World Chinese language Competition (Sri Lanka regional contest), the three parties further discussed joint organization of Chinese language competitions, cross-campus Chinese cultural touring exhibitions, and mutual exchange and research activities. They also reviewed the experience of this year’s competition and proposed future initiatives, including the establishment of a regional cooperation platform in Sri Lanka, the development of a shared teaching resource database, and coordinated cultural activities celebrating traditional Chinese festivals.
The participants agreed to establish a regular collaboration framework to further support the sustainable development of Chinese language education in Sri Lanka.
During the meeting break, Dr. Sudath Senarath, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Kelaniya, met the visiting delegates and warmly welcomed their visit.
Ven. Prof. Nedalagamuwe Dhammadinna Thero, Senior Professor of the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Kelaniya, and Dr. Jani, former Sri Lankan Co-Director of the Confucius Institute, also joined the meeting and engaged in friendly discussions with the visiting delegates.
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