The Federal Government has announced plans to expand Chinese language education in public schools as part of efforts to strengthen educational and cultural ties between Nigeria and China.
Mrs Joy Okeke, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Education Secretariat, disclosed this on Friday during the 19th and 25th Nigeria Division of the Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School and University Students in Abuja.
Okeke described language as a vital tool for communication, cultural exchange, commerce and international cooperation.
“It is highly commendable that the Chinese Embassy, with its 5,000 years of civilisation and over 200 million learners of Mandarin worldwide, is promoting the language up to secondary school level, particularly in the FCT.
“We are on our part putting all necessary things in order to fully commence the learning of Chinese language in our schools,” she said.
She noted that FCT schools remain the only public secondary schools in Nigeria with established Chinese Corners, where students participate in Chinese language learning, Wushu, cultural dances, lion dances, arts and crafts, as well as other cultural exchange activities.
Okeke commended the Chinese Embassy for its continued partnership and urged students to take full advantage of the opportunities offered through Chinese language education.
Earlier, Mr Yang Jianxing, Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and Director of the China Cultural Centre, described the Chinese Bridge competition as an important platform for educational and cultural exchanges between both countries.
According to him, learning Chinese provides access to China’s rich civilisation, literature, history and cultural heritage.
“The Chinese language is a key to the treasure house of Chinese civilisation.
“It carries the poetic beauty of classical literature, the wisdom embedded in idioms and historical allusions, and the profound heritage of thousands of years of history,” he said.
Yang encouraged participants to embrace language learning and cultural understanding, noting that the competition’s theme, ‘Chasing Dreams Through Chinese, Making Every Moment Count,’ reflects the importance of pursuing aspirations through education.
He also noted that 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria, as well as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
Yang said the Chinese Embassy and the China Cultural Centre would continue supporting Confucius Institutes and Chinese language classrooms while creating more opportunities for youth exchanges between the two countries.
“We will actively build platforms for youth exchanges between the two countries and continue holding diverse cultural events so that more Nigerian young people can carry the torch of China-Nigeria friendship into the next generation,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the secondary school category, Micheal Justina of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University emerged overall winner with 95.2 points, while Umezurike Chinaetugo placed second.
In the university category, Emmanuel Faith emerged winner with 94 points, while Onyeocha Ugochi finished second.
The winners will represent Nigeria at the global Chinese Bridge finals in China.
The first-place winners will participate in the international contest, where contestants who rank among the top 30 globally will receive full scholarships to study in China.
The second-place winners will also travel to China on an all-expenses-paid cultural exchange programme sponsored by the Chinese
government.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Edited by: Deborah Yakub
