Confucius classroom unveiled at rural school in central Uganda

WAKISO, Uganda - A Confucius Classroom was unveiled on Saturday at a middle school in the central Ugandan district of Wakiso.

Vice President Edward Ssekandi unveiled the classroom at Luyanzi College, in efforts to encourage more Ugandans to learn Chinese and also the culture.

Ssekandi said China is the second largest economy in the world, and it is among the most vibrant one.

He said Uganda needs to associate with such an economy and this can be done first by learning the Chinese language and culture.

Ayub Sooma, co-Director Luyanzi College, said learning Chinese language and culture is one of the ways Uganda can position itself to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative.

Sooma said many Chinese companies are establishing industries in Uganda and therefore it is important for the youths to tap the benefits.

Figures from the Chinese embassy in Uganda show that in 2018, Uganda was the third top destination of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Africa.

Uganda already hosts a Confucius Institute at Makerere University, which is the center for Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange in the country. It has eight centers across the country from where about 17,000 people have been taught Chinese over the last five years.