SUZHOU: In a learning aid program, several Pakistani students in China met online with the primary and secondary school students in a once-impoverished county in southwestern China.
The introductory session held last week was part of a study assistance program organised by the Silk Road School (SRS) of Renmin University of China (RUC) in a bid to help children at a minority community in Yunan Province learn English and to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation.
“The fun element for me in that session was the struggle of the kids despite having pronunciation problem. Some kids were too shy to speak”, said Maria Nazeer, a Pakistani participant admitted to the School in 2019.
The scene of Chinese kids learning English strikes a chord with her as she also speaks English as a second language. “I felt emotional twice in the class. I was thinking about my younger version and how I struggled to be at the point where I am today. So, I saw myself in those kids and their high spirits made me happy.”
Teachers from the recipient schools welcome such assistance. “Students can truly feel the charm of this international language by talking with foreign speakers”, acclaimed Li Mei from the Yingpan Middle School.
For long, lack of native speakers as English teachers and chances to communicate in English in real-life scenario has been constraining students’ foreign language competence in these remote regions. By pooling the resources of students from the “Silk Road” countries and university teachers, the young English learners are motivated to put what they’ve learned into practice, and Pakistani students have an opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding towards China.
Education programs constitute a critical part of China’s poverty alleviation endeavors. Behind it is the Chinese philosophy that to become better off, one should not only enrich his wallet, but also his mind. Now China has won the final battle against extreme poverty, but efforts for people’s all-round development have not ceased. – Agencies
