1-20 of 143 results for subject:"Mandarin language"
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That this House celebrates a decade of Mandarin education in schools across Edinburgh, delivered through a partnership between local schools in the independent and state sector and the Swire Chinese Language Foundation; notes that participating schools include George Watson’s College, Boroughmuir High School, Castlebrae Community High School, James Gillespie’s High School, Queensferry High School and Tynecastle High School; welcomes the contribution this programme has made to widening access to language learning and helping to close the opportunity gap; recognises the importance of equipping young people with skills in widely spoken global languages such as Mandarin, spoken by over one billion people worldwide, and the benefits this brings for cultural understanding as well as the UK’s future economic and diplomatic opportunities; commends the achievements, resilience and commitment of pupils undertaking this challenging area of study; and pays tribute to the teachers, staff and educational partners whose dedication has made this decade of progress possible and continues to broaden young people’s horizons.
That this House celebrates a decade of Mandarin education in schools across Edinburgh, delivered through a partnership between local schools in the independent and state sector and the Swire Chinese Language Foundation; notes that participating schools include George Watson’s College, Boroughmuir High School, Castlebrae Community High School, James Gillespie’s High...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of diplomatic officers posted to China who are proficient in Chinese to C1 CEFR level or higher.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of diplomatic officers posted to China who are proficient in Chinese to C1 CEFR level or higher.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 November 2025 in response to Question 86285.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August.
The Mandarin Excellence Programme is operating this academic year, and we are developing options for next and subsequent academic years, which we will set out in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress her Department has made towards the introduction of a new China Fast Stream.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress her Department has made towards the introduction of a new China Fast Stream.
I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made to the House by the previous Foreign Secretary on 24 June 2025. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is enhancing the talent pipeline of China experts by creating a specialised China Pathway within the FCDO's Fast Stream programmes. Starting with the 2026 Fast Stream intake, the China Pathway will enable a small number of new entrants to undertake a structured programme of China-focused jobs and training, including in Mandarin Chinese.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 40312 on China: Diplomatic Service, how many staff in her Department have achieved Mandarin qualifications at (a) C1 and (b) C2 level under the CEFR scale in the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 40312 on China: Diplomatic Service, how many staff in her Department have achieved Mandarin qualifications at (a) C1 and (b) C2 level under the CEFR scale in the...
Almost 100 valid Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) qualifications in Russian are currently held at C1 level or above by FCDO staff, and almost 75 in Mandarin. Exam passes are valid for five years. Some staff may concurrently hold a valid C1 and C2 pass. As previously explained to the Hon. Member, these figures alone do not provide an accurate measure of FCDO staff language capabilities as staff may hold a non-FCDO language qualification or be a native speaker.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in her Department have language proficiency in Mandarin at (a) CEFR level C1 and (b) higher.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in her Department have language proficiency in Mandarin at (a) CEFR level C1 and (b) higher.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was provided on 6 November in response to Question 86285.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of British diplomats posted to China have language proficiency in Chinese at CEFR level C1 or higher.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of British diplomats posted to China have language proficiency in Chinese at CEFR level C1 or higher.
As of March 2025, 64 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) staff have achieved qualifications in Mandarin at C1 or C2 level (in the Common European Framework Reference scale) over the past five years. FCDO language qualifications are valid for 5 years.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 6 January (HL3649), what progress has been made in discussions across the Government regarding funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025; and when they expect a decision on the subject to be announced.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 6 January (HL3649), what progress has been made in discussions across the Government regarding funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025; and when they expect a decision on the subject to be announced.
The department continues to work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, and we will set out more in due course.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for building Mandarin language skills within the workforce to meet the needs of the United Kingdom in (1) security, (2) diplomacy, and (3) trade.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for building Mandarin language skills within the workforce to meet the needs of the United Kingdom in (1) security, (2) diplomacy, and (3) trade.
The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.
The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme after its current funding expires in August 2025.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence Programme after its current funding expires in August 2025.
The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.
The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education will consult the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the security services before it makes a decision on the funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Education will consult the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the security services before it makes a decision on the funding of the Mandarin Excellence Programme beyond August 2025.
The government appreciates the benefits that studying Mandarin can bring to the workforce needs of the United Kingdom.
The government has recently confirmed funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme until the end of this academic year, when the current contract ends. The department will work with all interested parties across government to consider the future approach to supporting Mandarin language learning beyond August 2025, to meet the UK’s varied needs for a pipeline of Mandarin language speakers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will continue her Department’s funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will continue her Department’s funding for the Mandarin Excellence Programme.
This government remains committed to supporting the teaching of modern foreign languages in England’s schools. Languages provide an insight into other cultures and can open the door to travel and employment opportunities. They also broaden pupils’ horizons, helping them flourish in new environments. Having the opportunity to study a modern foreign language should be part of the broad and rich education that every child in this country deserves.
The department will continue to fund the Mandarin Excellence programme for the 2024/25 academic year.
The Spending Review settlements for 2025/26 were confirmed at Budget on 30 October and business planning is underway so that programmes can be given certainty about funding as soon as possible.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Mandarin Chinese language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Mandarin Chinese language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.
We have deemed language specialist to be a service person holding an in date formal MOD language assessment of Level 2 and above (even if not actively using the language day to day), and any civil servant (Burnham Lecturer) or military person employed in teaching languages to defence personnel on an ongoing permanent basis or supporting operations.
Detailed historical data on those personnel ‘in date’ before 2018 is unavailable, we only know the number of exams that were passed in the respective years going back to 2012. We have not included those for the purposes of this answer. The information available is in the following table:
Serial | Language | Numbers 'in date' | Numbers 'in date' | Numbers 'in date' | Numbers 'in date' | Numbers 'in date' | Numbers 'in date' |
1 | Russian | 163 | 155 | 111 | 106 | 80 | 81 |
2 | Arabic | 99 | 117 | 121 | 132 | 187 | 196 |
3 | Farsi | 38 | 42 | 38 | 40 | 21 | 24 |
4 | Mandarin | 15 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 12 | 12 |
5 | Cantonese | 9 | With Mandarin as Chinese to mid 23 | Counted with Mandarin | Counted with Mandarin | Counted with Mandarin | Counted with Mandarin |
6 | Dari/Pashtu | 5 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 13 |
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, what funding her Department have allocated to part-time optional Mandarin lessons in the next financial year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, what funding her Department have allocated to part-time optional Mandarin lessons in the next financial year.
The budget for Optional Language Training (OLT) is held by directorates within the FCDO. Eligible staff and spouses/partners can choose to undertake 250 hours of OLT, and are able to request additional hours to reach a higher level by submitting a business case. As the amount spent on OLT each year depends on staff uptake and comes from directorate's discretionary budgets, we cannot say what amount of funding has been allocated this year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many of her Department's staff have (a) enrolled in and (b) completed optional part-time Mandarin classes in each of the last four years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many of her Department's staff have (a) enrolled in and (b) completed optional part-time Mandarin classes in each of the last four years.
Optional Language Training (OLT) is for FCDO officers and spouses/partners (in FCDO-funded positions) posted overseas into 'non-speaker' slots, as well as spouses/partners who accompany officers posted into 'speaker slots'. OLT is designed to help staff reach a basic level of understanding in posts where English is not widely used or understood.
As directorates are responsible for OLT we cannot readily collate FCDO wide statistics. For the North East Asia and China Directorate specifically, 60 FCDO staff and spouses / partners enrolled for OLT over the period April 2019 to April 2023. OLT cannot be "completed" as there is no associated proficiency test involved.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many places he expects to be offered on the expanded programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many places he expects to be offered on the expanded programme.
We expect to be able to offer 300 places on our expanded Mandarin language training programme, spanning learners from total beginner to C1 proficiency.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many of his Department's staff are currently undertaking full time language training in preparation for a posting to China.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 172466 on Mandarin Language, how many of his Department's staff are currently undertaking full time language training in preparation for a posting to China.
The China Capability programme supports both part time and full time language training, through several training offers. We are double-funding in financial year 2024/2025, which will enable greater investment in Mandarin language training provision to FCDO staff, including those going on post.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world, published on 13 March 2023, how many people will be trained to speak Mandarin by his Department in the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world, published on 13 March 2023, how many people will be trained to speak Mandarin by his Department in the...
In FY22/23 the China Capability programme funded 100 new places in part-time Mandarin lessons for staff across government, from beginner to advanced level, which will be expanded over the next 12 months. This is in addition to part-time FCDO Mandarin language classes, which are available to any FCDO staff member on an optional basis. The FCDO also ensures there is a pipeline of staff undertaking full-time language training in preparation for specific postings to the China network.