STORY: Chinese language gaining popularity in Ghanaian elementary school
SHOOTING DATE: June 3, 2024
DATELINE: June 7, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:46
LOCATION: Accra
CATEGORY: EDUCATION

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Chinese class
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALVIN QUARTEY, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
3 various of the Chinese class
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BRIANA ARTHUR, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
5. various of the dance class
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ADELYN MENSAH, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
7. various of the dance class
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DOREENDA NIKOI KOTEI, Administrator of Happy Heart Montessori School
9. various of the dance class
10. various of the Chinese class
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): IRENE DORDUNOO, Chinese language teacher at Happy Heart Montessori School
12. various of the school

STORYLINE:

At the Happy Heart Montessori School in Accra, the capital of Ghana, a group of pupils are practicing their Chinese language skills under the guidance of the teachers.

The school has introduced the Chinese language into its curriculum in response to the increasing demand for Chinese language learning.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ALVIN QUARTEY, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
"I find it (Chinese language) interesting because in the learning of a different language, when you go abroad, there are other people who speak it, so communicating with them will be very easy. For example, in the future, when I go to a different country and there are some people who speak Chinese, it will be very easy for me to interact with them because I know their culture and their language."

At the school, Chinese language learning is combined with music and dance to make the process more engaging.
        
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BRIANA ARTHUR, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
"It's very fun, amazing, and encouraging, and the teachers are good at teaching us Chinese. I'm impressed because it takes me far and makes me get a lot of programs to do."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ADELYN MENSAH, Student of Happy Heart Montessori School
"I find the Chinese language easy, and also the Chinese language is very interesting, and it's also good to learn other countries' languages. That's why I decided to learn Chinese language."   

Doreenda Nikoi Kotei, the school's administrator, praised the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana for its support, noting that it provides the school with teaching personnel every year.

According to the administrator and other teachers, the introduction of Chinese has significantly boosted school enrollment, as parents increasingly recognize the benefits of their children learning the language.
   
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DOREENDA NIKOI KOTEI, Administrator of Happy Heart Montessori School
"Before the children get to the secondary and tertiary levels, they'll be able to grasp the introductory basis of the Chinese language and culture. That motivated the school to come this far. They have been doing very well. The passion is there, when you see them speaking and performing activities, it inspires the parents to even push them more."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): IRENE DORDUNOO, Chinese language teacher at Happy Heart Montessori School
"The evidence is so clear right now. Most of the Chinese people here in Ghana are establishing their businesses, and it is a benefit to the country as well, as their businesses are here, they are not only looking for Chinese people to work, Ghanaians are (also) working."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra.
(XHTV)