MANILA, Philippines—Selected schools in Manila will soon offer Mandarin language courses under a city government project aimed at promoting Chinese culture while enabling more residents to explore job or business opportunities in China.
Under an agreement signed recently by Mayor Joseph Estrada and the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center (PCERC), the latter would provide teachers from China and shoulder their salaries and other expenses while the City Hall would take care of their security concerns.
The Mandarin teachers will be given a one-year stint in schools to be picked by the local government. Their tenure may be renewed upon review by both parties.
Councilor Bernardito Ang said the agreement would allow more residents of Manila, a city that hosts the oldest Chinatown in the world, to understand the culture and access opportunities in what is now acknowledged as the world’s economic superpower.
“Learning their language means unlocking access to one-fourth of the world’s population. Hopefully in the future, this program will help residents land jobs in China,” Ang said. Representing PCERC at the agreement signing was its executive vice president, James Wang.