INTEC inaugurated the first Confucius Institute of the Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO. In the presence of academic authorities y consular, Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) inaugurated the facilities of First Confucius Institute of the Dominican Republic, an academic space for the promotion of university collaboration, and the teaching the Chinese language and culture.
The Confucius Institute of the Dominican Republic will follow the model of the more 540 that operate in the countries of the five continents, and that are dedicated to the organization of academic exchanges, courses and workshops on the Chinese language and culture, cultural events and the production of teaching materials.
The opening ceremony was led by the ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the country, Zhang Run, and by the Rector of INTEC, Rolando M. Guzmán. The audience was also made up of the Consul of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, He Zheng; the academic vice chancellor of Heilongjiang University, Chen Wenyuan; Jordi Portet, president of the Board of Regents of INTEC.
They were also present José Feliz, Víctor Gómez-Valenzuela y Alfonso Casasnovas, Academic Vice-Chancellors of Research and Liaison, and of Administration and Finance of INTEC, respectively, as well as other executives of the university. The event was attended by a broad representation of Chinese entrepreneurs living in the country, as well as local education authorities.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Run stressed that Confucius Institutes were established worldwide from 2004, with the purpose of satisfying the growing demand to learn Chinese language and culture.
"The mode of operation of this Institute is an imitation of the mature experiences acquired from other countries on the dissemination of their languages. It is an unofficial and non-profit educational organization, which carries out its work in accordance with laws and regulations of the countries where it is located, "he emphasized.
He said that the Confucius Institute at INTEC was born in the high-quality development stage, and can take advantage of this opportunity to improve the method and way of teaching Chinese culture, on the basis of equality, regarding mutual coordination in order to to forge an example for the teaching of the foreign language, and at the same time to continue for the exchange interaction of culture, science and technology.
For his part, the rector of INTEC, Rolando Guzmán, said that "the Confucius Institute is established in our country with the intention of being a bridge for the Chinese people and the Dominican people, with the academic contribution of INTEC and the University from Heilongjiang, continue the process of mutual knowledge, through cultural exchange, artistic activity and scientific initiatives. "
In addition, he praised that the inauguration of the Confucius Institute is, at the same time, a point of arrival and a starting point. "It is a point of arrival because it represents the culmination of a long agenda of joint work between our university and the representation of the Chinese government in our country; and it is a starting point because it represents only the beginning of what we hope will be a renewed stage of collaboration, which will allow us to reach higher levels of excellence ".
Meanwhile, the vicerector academic of the Heilongjiang University, urged that the INTEC next to the university that he represents strengthen even more the understanding and friendship between both nations, deepen the cooperation and exchanges to benefit teachers and students of both academies.
After the protocolary act, the cutting of office tape, which are located in the second floor of the Eduardo Latorre Postgraduate building of the University. Finally, the guests participated in a celebration cocktail, which was held in the event room on the terrace of that building.
The entry into operation of the Confucius Institute of the Dominican Republic was authorized by the General Office of the Confucius Institute (Hanban), of China, in February of 2018; followed by a cooperation agreement for its proper functioning, which was signed between INTEC and Heilongjiang University, located in Harbin, People's Republic of China, in November of that year.
Other academic institutions in which the Confucius Institute in America operates are the Michigan State University, Bryant University, Columbia University, Stanford University, among others 101 of the United States; National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico; University of Havana, Cuba; Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and National University of La Plata, Argentina; among many. They have presence in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, El Salvador, among other countries.
Relations of INTEC and the People's Republic of China
INTEC initiated collaboration with the People's Republic of China more than ten years ago, through various initiatives. At 2008 the annual delivery of the China Scholarship began, through which INTEC graduates are benefited with scholarships in 100% coverage to pursue postgraduate studies in universities in that country, after exhausting a selection process. Also since that year, INTEC is host-venue for the eliminatory sessions of the International Chinese Bridge Competition, a contest on Mandarin language proficiency and knowledge of Chinese culture.
Additionally, also from 2008, the Government of the People's Republic of China supports the offer of the Mandarin language from the International Center of Languages of the INTEC and cultural activities such as the annual celebration of the Chinese New Year, organization of exchanges for teachers and collaborators, among other initiatives .