TAG-Confucius Representative Attends the 7th Confucius Institute Conference

Mr. Tareq Hammad participated in the panel discussion “Confucius Institute and Chinese Language Instruction in Elementary and Secondary Schools”, in which he gave a briefing on the work of TAG- Confucius and its future plans for expansion

BEIJING----January 3, 2013----- Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute (TAG-Confucius), the official testing centre for China's Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi or the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) represented by its Executive Director Mr. Tareq Hammad took part in the 7th Confucius Institute Conference held at China National Convention Center in Beijing.

Over 2,200 guests attended the annual conference, including host university presidents and representatives from the Confucius Institutes in 108 countries as well as their Chinese counterparts.

Cantered on the theme of “To facilitate the integration of the Confucius Institute into the University and Local Community," the Conference aimed to foster close cooperation and exchange by drawing on the past experience, and advance the development of the Confucius Institutes in a rapid and sound manner.

Delegates carried out in-depth discussions on such topics as the implementation of Confucius China Study Plan, the formulation of development plans for Confucius Institutes around the world, Chinese teacher training major and Chinese teacher training base, Confucius Institute full-time teaching position, quality assessment of Confucius Institutes and model Confucius Institute build-up.

Mr. Hammad participated in the panel discussion “Confucius Institute and Chinese Language Instruction in Elementary and Secondary Schools”, in which he gave a briefing on the work of TAG- Confucius and its future plans for expansion.

Up to now, there have been 400 Confucius Institutes and over 500 Confucius Classrooms set up in 108 countries. In 2012, the total number of registered students has reached 655,000. Over 16,000 cultural activities of all kinds have been held, attracting 9.48 million participants. The number of students taking all kinds of Chinese tests has amounted to 500,000.

About Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute was established in September 2008 to promote the Chinese language and culture, in order to reach a better mutual understanding between Arab and Chinese cultures. This is a one-of-a-kind initiative based on the cooperation agreement between Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and the Confucius Institute of China. The Institute was named after Confucius, the world-renowned great thinker, educator and philosopher in Chinese history. Confucius's thoughts have influenced China and other areas in the world for nearly two thousand years.