STORY: Chinese language gaining popularity: scholars
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 25, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 27, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:14
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the conference 
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English) JULIAN PARRY, British council's director English and School education Sub Sahara Africa
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONY MAINA, Senior Curriculum Development Officer KICD

STORYLINE:

The first British Council New Directions in Language Assessment Sub-Saharan Africa Conference was held in Nairobi from Tuesday to Thursday.

Experts and scholars attending the event believe the Chinese language is now gaining increasingly global appeal.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English) JULIAN PARRY, British council's director English and School education Sub Sahara Africa
"Why are we learning Chinese? And I think a lot of it is about international business. So, if you want to make money, you need to speak the language of the people who have the money. And at the moment, China does seem quite flash."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONY MAINA, Senior Curriculum Development Officer KICD
"For a long time, the only languages that were offered in the curriculum, apart from English were Kiswahili, German, Arabic, and French. But a few years ago, Chinese was added to the mix, chiefly because of the role China has come to play in today's world, the place of China is an economic powerhouse and lots of interactions between Kenya and China."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)