Polokwane Mandarin school unlocks global opportunities

POLOKWANE – Experts agree that children have the best ability to learn a new language before the age of seven. While many parents embrace English as the global language, there are other equally valuable languages to consider including Mandarin.

Recognising the opportunities Mandarin offers, Jo Coetzee and his wife, Yu Lan, established a Mandarin language school in Polokwane after moving here a few years ago.

Yu Lan, a qualified teacher with a degree from the University of Liaoning and certification from the Confucius Institute, teaches learners everything from speaking to writing and reading Mandarin.

“Our journey started with two medical students stuck in South Africa during the lockdown. Both are now thriving in China and are on track to become doctors,” Jo said.

With China’s growing global influence and vast trade opportunities, Jo believes South African learners must keep pace.

“Mandarin opens doors to full scholarships through the Confucius Institute and provides students with the chance to study in safe, world-class Chinese universities,” he said.

Yu Lan explains that they teach ‘Pu Dong Gua’, the standard Mandarin required for university admission in China.

“Mandarin is a tonal language, and these tones are critical in conveying the correct meaning of words. Young learners naturally pick up these tones, laying a strong foundation for future studies,” she said.

The curriculum incorporates the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), an international Chinese Language Proficiency Test with six levels. It measures a learner’s skills in speaking, reading, listening, and writing – qualifications necessary for studying at Chinese universities.

Yu Lan teaches children as young as four, adding that young learners can grasp a new language “naturally” without being restricted by their mother tongue.

In addition to learning Mandarin’s complex characters and their specific sequences, students are introduced to Pinyin, a phonetic system that bridges Mandarin characters and digital communication tools such as phones and computers.

“Our goal is to provide learners with a solid base in this complex yet rewarding language, helping them unlock global opportunities,” Yu Lan added.