Confucius Institute in Edmonton

       The Confucius Institute in Edmonton (CIE) was greatly honoured to have recently been awarded a“Confucius Institute of the Year” designation at the opening session of the 6th Confucius Institute Conference, December 14, 2011 in Beijing. The award was accepted on behalf of the CIE and its host (Edmonton Public Schools), by Superintendent Edgar Schmidt.

       The award recognized the work of the CIE in supporting and promoting Chinese language and culture education in schools, universities and for the general public. This work combined teacher training, cultural education, language resource support and the provision for over 1200 candidates per year for internationally recognized Chinese language assessments. The CIE also currently supports 14 Confucius Classrooms in 14 Edmonton Public Schools where 3000 students are learning the Chinese language.

       The CIE was also recognized for its support for cultural training for the business community, working as a partner with local industry. The CIE also now operates a full public access library of over 40 000 language and cultural resources for all ages.

       The award recognizes the success of the CIE in developing educational, cultural and economic linkages between Alberta and China.

       The CIE would like to acknowledge the support of its host, Edmonton Public Schools and its Chinese partner, the Education Department of Shandong Province in China.